Queen of Apology
by whutnot
Summary: After her breakdown, Azula behaves as the model prisoner in hopes to get out. When her brother goes easy on her, she thinks he is a fool for giving her a second chance. That is until a certain acrobat enters her life again.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This is my first story for AtlA, so I'm still kind of figuring things out. Go easy on me. I'm new to the fandom, but I just had so many TyZula feels that I needed to get them out. I hope you guys enjoy it. This first chapter might move a little fast, but that's because I'm lazy and want to get on with the real plot as soon as possible.

* * *

As far as prisons went, it wasn't a bad one. She thought that was probably because it was for….. well it was for people who weren't well. She didn't like the word 'crazy,' even though she knew it was appropriate. It just didn't seem right, didn't fit with her vision of the world. And it added to her guilt.

"I don't know what you think is going to happen," Mai said as they walked. "She won't talk to you. She won't talk to anyone."

Ty Lee sighed but then plastered a smile on her face. "Maybe she just needs to see a friendly face."

"I'm not friendly?"

Ty Lee giggled but didn't take the bait. They both knew exactly how friendly Mai's face was. "You know what I mean, Mai. Besides, I know you don't have time to visit her all that much, what with you getting ready to be the new Fire Lady." Mai was going to marry Zuko the next summer and officially become the Queen of the Fire Nation. Ty Lee was happy for her friends, she really was, but she was also sad that not everyone in their group had fared so well.

"She doesn't want me to anyway." There was no hint of regret in Mai's voice. Then again, there never was.

"She'll come around," Ty Lee assured her taller friend.

"It's been over a year, Ty Lee."

"Yeah, but she was…. well… you know….. for most of that, right?"

"Insane?" Ty Lee winced at the choice of words. "Yeah, she was. She still is, Ty." There was some warning in Mai's voice. A warning not to expect too much from the visit.

"We'll see." Ty Lee had a feeling that she might have more luck than Mai. The future Fire Lady sighed and rolled her eyes, but said nothing else. Ty Lee was glad because the farther they walked the more her stomach clenched. Despite the happy face she had put on for Mai, she was incredibly nervous about this meeting. It had been over a year since she had seen the prisoner. A year since she had betrayed her.

Ty Lee blamed herself for Azula's descent into madness.

She knew that it was her betrayal that had caused the princess to lose her grasp on reality. Azula could have handled Mai's. She had been angry, but she would have gotten over it. But Ty Lee was an entirely different story. As much as Azula liked to pretend that she didn't need anyone, she needed Ty Lee. She needed that one person who had never left her, never tossed her aside. And Ty Lee had betrayed her.

It had been a split second decision. All she could think was that she could not let Azula kill Mai. As the two had faced off, Ty Lee had known that look in Azula's eyes. The princess was going to kill Mai. And Ty Lee had reacted out of pure instinct. The weeks in prison had given her a lot of time to think, and it had given her new friends in the Kyoshi warriors. Friends who didn't try to control her with fear, but ones who actually showed her affection. It had been an enlightening experience, and she had started to think that maybe Azula had never cared about her at all.

That was, until she got out and heard about the fate of the daughter of Ozai. According to Li and Lo it had started after Azula returned from the Boiling Rock, after she had lost her friends. She kept insisting that everyone was going to betray her. The new hit Ty Lee like a ton of bricks. She had done that to Azula. She had reduced the once powerful princess into a raving mess. It did not make her feel powerful. It made her feel sick.

Even worse, she had not been able to gather the courage to come and visit Azula before then. A whole year. She had spent it in the Earth Kingdom with the Kyoshi warriors, telling herself that Azula would not want to see her anyway, that she wasn't a coward, that she was making the right decision. But as Mai stopped outside of Azula's cell and Ty Lee saw the princess for the first time since the Boiling Rock, she knew she had been wrong.

The cell was clean. There was a neat little cot in the corner, a table on one side that had a few books stacked on it. Some writing materials. There was even a window letting in light through the iron bars. But Ty Lee couldn't look at any of those things. Instead, her attention was taken by the hunched figure sitting in the middle of the floor, her long black hair spilling around her face, obscuring it from view. She had her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. She looked completely and utterly defeated and pathetic.

It made Ty Lee want to cry.

But she didn't. She put on her best and brightest smile as Mai stepped forward.

"You have a visitor, Azula," Mai said casually. "I told her you wouldn't be interested, but she insisted on coming anyway." Azula lifted her head and glared at Mai before letting her amber eyes slip past her to Ty Lee. For a moment, confusion clouded her eyes, then recognition, and finally a cold and burning hatred that made Ty Lee flinch.

"H-hey Azula," she said timidly, her smile faltering under the withering glare. "I'm sorry I didn't come to see you earlier, but I was really busy with the Kiyoshi warriors in the Earth Kingdom. I've been learning a lot from them and it's been really fun." Azula's brows furrowed even deeper, but she still said nothing. Ty Lee looked at Mai for assurance, but the other girl simply shrugged.

"I told you she wouldn't talk."

"Come on, 'Zula," she tried again, using the childhood nickname. "I thought we could talk, you know? About stuff. About anything, really. I missed you."

Azula's lips rose in a sneer and she lifted her head, looking almost like her old self again in her haughty anger. "Talk. That's all anyone wants to do. That's all they ever want me to do." Even Mai looked startled by the words. "Alright, fine. I'll talk. I'll tell you how I've been. Is that what you want?"

Ty Lee nodded mutely, apprehension creeping at the fringes of her senses.

"Things are shit, Ty Lee," she said, her voice falsely sweet. "I'm here in the nuthouse because _you_ betrayed me. You and that tramp next to you. I'm here when I should be ruling the Fire Nation, not my idiot brother. It makes me so sick to think of it. He's probably running it into the ground. And you want to know how I am? How do you think? All day every day they poke and prod me and try to make sense of me. Of poor little Azula. So broken and damaged. There just must be something wrong with me. Something they can fix. Well, the only thing wrong with me is that I'm too good for any of you. Especially you, Ty Lee. You are too stupid and simple and appallingly weak for me to ever give you the time of day. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to rot away in peace." With that, she turned her face to the wall, leaving Mai and Ty Lee to watch her in stunned silence.

After a moment, where Ty Lee realized that she was crying softly, Mai ushered them away. "Well…. you did get her talking." This just made Ty Lee cry harder, burying her face in her hands, hunching her shoulders over. "Look, why do you care what she says? She's crazy, Ty. She always was. Just think about all the times she used us and about all the times she manipulated you and insulted you. She's gotten what she deserves."

"No one deserves what happened to her," Ty Lee whispered. She knew the true depths of Azula's pain. Her struggled to please her father, the loveless childhood where her mother obviously favored her brother. The way she put her entire self into completing the tasks her father had set before her, only to be cast aside when Ozai no longer needed her. No one else saw what turmoil lay beneath the mask of anger that Azula always wore. No one but Ty Lee.

"Are you kidding? Ty, she's a monster."

"No she's not!" Ty Lee turned to glare at Mai. "She's the most beautiful, smartest, perfect girl in the world!" And Ty Lee believed those words with all her heart. She just knew that Azula needed help to realize it.

"Whatever." Mai let the subject drop. "Anyway, I don't think you should visit her for a while."

"Yeah, okay." Ty Lee didn't know if she could handle the harsh words that Azula would throw at her anyway. "I have stuff to do anyway." With one last glance down the hall, they left.

* * *

Ty Lee didn't go back for two months for one reason or another. Mostly because every time she thought about it, all she could see were Azula's eyes and the hatred within them. But eventually she was able to gather her courage. This time, she went without Mai, hoping that Azula would be more receptive if it was just her. She even dismissed the guards as she stood outside the cell.

Azula looked up at her with disinterest this time. "Oh, it's you again."

"I… I wanted to see how you were doing." She grimaced as the words left her mouth. That was not what she had meant to say. Azula glared.

"Why would you think that anything had changed since the last time you were here?"

"I….I didn't think…"

"No. You never do." Azula regarded her coldly. "That's because you don't have a brain inside that big empty head."

"Azula…."

"Why do you insist on bothering me? Is it some sort of gloating thing? Are you proud that you brought down the mighty Azula?"

"No. It's not that at all," Ty Lee insisted, stepping closer to the bars. The guards had told her to be careful. Azula still had her fire bending and even though her hands had been bound for the visit, she could still breathe fire. "I'm just….I'm worried about you."

Azula snorted.

"I am. I…. Azula, please…"

"Get out." The princess's voice was harsh and unyielding. When Ty Lee didn't move, Azula lunged forward, eyes blazing. "I said get out! Do you think I want to talk to you? Did you really think it would make me _feel_ better? You must be dumber than you look. Gods, you make me sick." Ty Lee fled, not wanting the guards to see her cry again. She could hear Azula's high, maniacal laughter following her, cutting deeper and deeper until she thought her heart might shred to pieces under its cruelty.

* * *

She did not go back until Azula's seventeenth birthday. She had left the Kyoshi warriors. They made her think of Azula. Everything made her think of Azula. She rejoined the circus, even though that reminded her of Azula, too. At least there she was doing something that made her happy. She was with people who were strange and weird, just like her. People who didn't judge her because of her former friendship with the Princess of the Fire Nation. So many people in the Earth Kingdom had. Not that she could blame them. Azula had caused so much pain for so many people. Ty Lee just saw it from a different perspective. Azula had been a creation of her failed parenting, a self-fulfilling prophecy. She had turned into a monster because that was what everyone expected her to be, and Azula was never one to fail to meet expectation. No, she always went above and beyond.

Ty Lee thought, as she stood before a different cell this time, a larger one with better furniture and an actual door instead of bars, that Azula looked…. better. Calmer, perhaps. Not as cold. She was unrestrained, sitting at her table with a book in her hand. She looked up as the door opened.

"Ty Lee," she said raising an eyebrow. Her hair was back in a topknot, not hanging loose and ragged as it had been before. "I wasn't expecting to see you again." Ty Lee thought that she might have heard remorse in those words, but she didn't let herself hope too hard. That would have just caused her more pain later.

"I wanted to wish you a happy birthday," Ty Lee said as brightly as she could, still remembering the last time they had spoken. She held out the small present she had gotten. It had taken some convincing to get the warden to allow her to bring it, but it was harmless, really. "I got you something."

Azula eyes her cautiously, but took the gift without any biting words. She carefully unwrapped it, actually appearing to be in full command of her faculties. Mai had told Ty Lee that Azula had been making a lot of progress. They had the best healers in the four kingdoms looking after her, and slowly, she began to resemble her old self. The one she had been before the whole mess with the Avatar. Still not cuddly and sweet, but then that was never Azula. She was not remorseful for her actions, and she still harbored anger against Zuko and Mai and probably Ty Lee too, but she no longer lashed out blindly, wanting to hurt the nearest thing to her.

Ty Lee watched nervously as Azula's thin fingers unfolded the paper, careful not to tear any of it. People always thought that Azula was only a force of destruction, that she wanted to break and maim and annihilate everything in her path, but they were wrong. She was much too careful for that. All anyone had to do was look at the way she took Ba Sing Se. Nearly completely bloodless. It had been clean and efficient and brutally complete. Perfect. Just like everything she did.

Cold, cruel, efficient. Deadly.

That was what had made her downfall do horrifying to Ty Lee. To see the once perfect princess who could not stand to have a hair out of line dissolve into a psychotic mess had been too much for her. But now… Now the princess was calm and collected once more.

She stared at the gift, not really comprehending. "What is this?" Her tone held all the royal entitlement that she had been brought up with. Had it not been for their surroundings, Ty Lee would have thought that Azula was the Fire Lord, sitting on her thrown and lording over all. It just came so naturally to her.

"Don't you recognize it?"

"If I recognized it, I wouldn't have asked you, would I?" she said calmly, but there was that trademark bite behind the words. Every syllable was meant to tear Ty Lee down, make her feel as though she would never be good enough.

She brushed it off, as she used to do all the time. "It's the friendship bracelet I gave you when you after we thought you killed the Avatar." That had been a good day, she reflected, even though now she felt some guilt over it. Aang was almost a friend to her now. It was good that Azula had not killed him. However, it had been one of the few times Azula had shown true warmth, accepting the gift with a smile and allowing Ty Lee to hug her. "I got it from Mai. Zuko kept a lot of your stuff, and I thought you might want something from home, you know?" Azula appeared torn for a fraction of a second, so quick that Ty Lee was unsure if she had seen correctly.

"You wanted to remind me of my failures?" she asked coolly. She did not look up at Ty Lee, instead focusing on the thing silver chain in her hand.

Ty Lee's smile flickered. She had not thought of that, of how this would remind Azula of everything that had happened, of the reasons she was still locked away. "I…No, 'Zula! I wanted you to remember that no matter what, I'll always be your friend."

"Even after all the things I said to you?" The princess's voice was soft and thoughtful. "Even after throwing you in prison? After using you and threatening you?"

"Well… I mean, yeah." Ty Lee rubbed the back of her neck. When Azula put it that way, it made her wonder why she did want the fire bender's friendship still. She had Mai and Zuko and Suki and Sokka and Katara and Aang and even Toph. None of them treated her like Azula did. None of them had ever purposefully hurt her. But none of them could hold a candle to blazing amazingness that was Azula, daughter of Fire Lord Ozai, princess of the Fire Nation. Ty Lee couldn't explain it, but nothing Azula had ever done to her could make her hate the princess.

"Then you really are an idiot," Azula said. Ty Lee shrank back, expecting another verbal onslaught, but instead, Azula sighed and held out her wrist. "Well, are you going to help me put it on, or not?" Ty Lee squealed with delight, and quickly clasped the chain around Azula's thing wrist.

"Oh, it looks so pretty on you!" she exclaimed. "And look, I found mine, too!" It had been buried deep in her jewelry box, forgotten a long time ago. Now it was displayed proudly on her wrist. "We match!"

Azula rolled her eyes, but Ty Lee thought that she might have seen some quickly hidden affection in the action. It reminded her of all the times that she had said something stupid and Mai would look at her like she was an idiot, but Azula would just accept that was how she was. Azula had always just accepted her that way. Azula had always thought it was fine for her to be circus freak, for her to be a little ditsy, for her to be happy all the time.

"I joined the circus again," Ty Lee said. "I was getting a little bored with warrior work. It wasn't as exciting as it was with you."

"Well, of course not," Azula agreed, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms regally. Ty Lee noticed that she was a little too thin. She should have filled out in the time she had been there. She was not a little girl anymore. She was on the verge of adulthood and should have had an adult body to go along with that. "Nothing is as exciting as I am."

"Yeah, but that's also why I came today." Ty Lee bit her lip nervously. "We were just doing shows here in the Fire Kingdom, but now they want to take the act to the Earth Kingdom."

"And why does that concern me?"

"Well….I wouldn't get to visit you anymore," Ty Lee explained. "I… I always want to, Azula, but I thought that you wouldn't want to see me. And now that we're friends again, I'm leaving." She frowned at how unfair that was.

"My dear brother tells me that if I continue to 'improve,' he might consider letting me have a little more freedom," Azula revealed, examining her nails.

"What? Oh, that's so great, Azula!" Before she thought better of it, Ty Lee rushed forward to wrap her arms around the sitting princess. They both froze as Ty Lee made contact. They stayed like that for a moment until Azula's arms came up to circle around Ty Lee.

"You're the first person in over two years to touch me who was not a doctor or a guard," she said stiffly, her voice sounding strange and strangled to Ty Lee's hears. The acrobat pulled back slightly to look into her princess's face.

"That's horrible," she said. "Everyone needs hugs!" Azula snorted in amusement.

"Ty Lee, you are so naïve sometimes," she said.

"Now I feel even worse about leaving," Ty Lee fretted. "I don't want you to be alone again."

"Your concern is unnecessary," Azula said, her tone business like and crisp. "I will be perfectly fine." Ty Lee was unconvinced. Upon seeing the look on her face, Azula sighed again. "If it makes you feel any better, I promise that I will try to write you if anything is…. bothering me. And I'll come see you at the circus once I get out of this gods forsaken place." She waved her hand absently, indicating the facility.

"Promise?"

"Have I ever lied to you?" Ty Lee thought about it. Azula lied to everyone. She lied all the time in order to get what she wanted. She used and manipulated people so expertly, so beautifully. It had always awed Ty Lee, enthralled and fascinated her how effortlessly Azula could get people to do as she wanted. But if she really thought about it, Azula had never lied to her. Of course, she had manipulated Ty Lee just as much as she had manipulated others, but never with an outright lie. It gave her pause.

"No, you haven't," she said slowly. Then she smiled. "Okay! I can't wait! You'll be free then and we can go have lunch or something and it will be so perfect!"

"Yes, perfect," Azula repeated, her eyes softening for a moment before they regained their usual frost. "I hope to be out of here by this time next year. I have to renounce my title, and give up any claim to the throne. They'll probably banish me, too. But anything's got to be better than this horrid place."

"You won't be a princess anymore?"

"No. Dear Zuzu doesn't want anyone to get ideas about forming a rebellion around me. As if I would waste my time. The Fire Nation is broken and weak now. I would never be so ashamed as to lead a country like this anymore." She tried to hide her bitterness, but Ty Lee could almost taste it. It resonated in Azula's aura. "I have to be a good little girl, and he'll be so gracious as to let me live in Ba Sing Se with darling Uncle Iroh. Now that I think about it, maybe it would be better to stay here."

"What? No!" Ty Lee said. "If you come live in the Earth Kingdom, I'll get to see you more!"

"How selfish, Ty Lee," Azula chided. "Making me suffer through months with my Uncle just so you can see me. A fate worse than death, I assure you."

"Oh, come on Azula. He's not that bad. I actually think he's kind of funny."

"Well, that's because you're an idiot." She suddenly frowned, her careful mask slipping for a moment. Ty Lee wondered if Azula really was as well as everyone seemed to think or if it was all just an act to get her out of prison. "You're all idiots. And Uncle is the leader of the idiots. I hate him. I hate them all." She had started muttering, and Ty Lee's eyes widened. But it only lasted a few seconds before Azula regained control over herself. "But I know what's best for me," she said more brightly. "And that is being anywhere but here. I'll suffocate on my own boredom if I have to stay here much longer."

"Don't worry, Azula. You'll get out of here soon." Ty Lee smiled and patted the princess's hand.

She stayed there for almost another hour, talking to Azula. It was a very one sided conversation as she did most of the talking. Azula simply nodded her head and interjected her opinion now and then. It seemed as though she was starved for attention, letting Ty Lee get away with more than normal, tolerating some things that would have irritated her before. Ty Lee wanted to make the most of it, knowing that it would be a long time before she could see Azula again, maybe years depending on whether or not Zuko thought the princess was rehabilitated enough to be let out.

At the end of their time together, Ty Lee wrapped Azula in another hug with a promise to see her again one way or another. Azula brushed off the promise with a few cool words, but Ty Lee could see that she was clinging to that promise. It made her heart clench just a little to know that Azula might actually still need her.

Because somewhere along the way, sometime in the years they had known each other, Ty Lee had fallen hopelessly and completely in love with her unattainable princess.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **Iroh is really hard to write. That is all. oh, wait. Not all. Please let me know any constructive Critiscism. I'm new to writing all these characters, and I want to make sure I keep them all as in character as possible.

* * *

Azula smiled wryly as the wind whipped through her hair. She may have hated the Earth Kingdom, but damn did it feel good to breath fresh air again, even if it was on her way to Ba Sing Se. She had her window down, which had caused her guards some worry at first until they were convinced that she was not going to attempt to fling herself off the tram. No, she would not make that mistake again. Last year's momentary lapse was something she did not want to dwell upon. She had been foolish to think that she would be able to get away with it. And the letter from Ty Lee after Mai had told her the news had hurt Azula more than she had expected.

No, she would not try to kill herself again. She was Azula, and though she was Princess of the Fire Nation no longer she was still the daughter of Ozai. She still had the blood of Sozin in her veins, and she was still one of the most brilliant fire benders to have ever lived.

It had been disgusting, really, her little lapse back into depression, losing her tightly held grasp on sanity. It had come when Zuko refused to let her out on her eighteenth birthday. For years she had done everything he asked, behaved as well as she possibly could, and still he had claimed she was not ready. Well, that had not gone over well. Now, just a month past her nineteenth birthday, she was on her way to her Uncle's house where he would monitor her for a prescribed six years until she turned twenty-five. If she had proven herself loyal and not a danger to herself or others, dear brother Zuzu would so very graciously allow her to return home to her country and title. As if nothing had ever happened.

How pathetically foolish of him.

Zuko was so convinced that Iroh would be able to change her as he had changed the young Fire Lord. That all Azula needed was some guidance. Of course, she had helped this image along, swallowing her pride when she needed to in order to let him believe that she wanted to change, to get better. All Azula wanted was revenge. She wanted Zuko to suffer as she had, to feel the pain and humiliation he had caused her. She hated him. She hated Iroh. She really really hated the Earth Kingdom, especially Ba Sing Se. She had hated it the first time she had been there, and she hated it now.

But there was a small part of her that was looking forward to reaching the city. According to her last letter, Ty Lee would be there within the next month with her travelling circus. They would stay in Ba Sing Se for at least two months. It was a massive city and promised to hold plenty of business for them.

Azula was not sure why exactly the thought of seeing Ty Lee encouraged her so much. The girl really was an idiot, so happy and bubbly all the time. Not something that Azula had ever valued in a person. The girl could be so irritating, especially in person. At least in letters, Azula didn't have to hear her high, childish voice, didn't have to watch those big doe eyes and that dopey smile.

She could never figure out why she did not hate Ty Lee. Sure, she had for a while there, right after the other girl's betrayal, but that had lessened. As much as Azula was loathe to admit it, the healers had been able to get through to her a bit. They made her realize how much she had mistreated Mai and Ty Lee, how their betrayals were only natural considering all that Azula had done to them. It had taken her two years to overcome the anger she felt. And then, stupid, naïve, beautiful little Ty Lee had come to visit her on her birthday, giving her that damned bracelet and assuring Azula that they would always be friends, no matter what.

And she had proven that she meant the words. She had written Azula faithfully for two years. She had even travelled all the way from Omashu to be with Azula as she recovered from her suicide attempt. No one had ever done anything like that for her, not even her own mother. It almost made Azula feel guilty, which was a strange new emotion that she decided she really did not like at all. It made her stop and think about how her actions would affect other people. Well… how they would affect one person. She did not feel this guilt for anyone else she had wronged, not even Mai. As far as she was concerned, Mai could take her new Fire Lady title and shove it so far up her ass that even a shrishu would not be able to find it. She and Zuko were two things that Azula would not miss about the Fire Nation.

The tram finally came to a stop at the station, and she saw the round figure of her uncle waiting for her with a coach.

"Azula, you've grown since I last saw you."

"As have you, Uncle," she said coolly, eyeing his belly. He only chuckled at the barb before turning to face her escorts.

"Thank you for transporting my niece safely. You're return tickets are already paid for."

One of the guards frowned. "General, we have express orders from the Fire Lord to accompany the prisoner-"

"She's not a prisoner anymore," Iroh interrupted. "And I think I can handle her." Azula sneered at the guards and sauntered over to her uncle. He dismissed the guards with a wave of his hand.

"Zuzu's not going to like that you did that," she informed him casually, hopping into the coach.

"I think your brother has bigger things to worry about," Iroh said pleasantly as he slid in beside her. "I hear that Mai is expecting." Azula made a face that said everything she thought about that, though she had to admit that the thought of Mai as a mother was more than a little amusing. Now, Ty Lee was a girl who was made to have children. Azula frowned, wondering where that had come from. It was not something she thought about. In fact, the thought of Ty Lee having children made her shudder. It would mean that she had gotten married, and that would mean that she was taken away from Azula. The former princess supposed it was inevitable. They all left in the end. Everyone she had ever cared for. Easier not to care. She would make a distinct effort not to care about Ty Lee in the future.

"Yes," she finally answered her Uncle. "That's what I've heard, too. I almost wish I had been able to stay and see Mai blow up like a giant sea lion."

"You'll be there, too, one day," her Uncle said. Azula snorted.

"I won't ever get married. Now that I'm not a princess, I won't have to." It had always been something she dreaded for two reasons. One was that she had seen what it did to her parents, how marriage had ruined them, and she would never let that happen to her. They had already ruined her enough. The second reason was one that she would never share with anyone. Over the years, as she had gotten older, she had started to come to the terrifying conclusion that she was horrifically and unnaturally attracted to women. It had started when she had been travelling with Mai and Ty Lee. Sometimes she would look at her two friends and admire how pretty they were. It had started out innocent enough, just a clinical appraisal of their physical beauty. Then it had changed. She began thinking about what it might be like to touch Ty Lee's lips or breasts or…other places. She had thought similar things about Mai, though not to the same extent. Even as she had battled the Kiyoshi warriors, focused on her task well enough to defeat them soundly, she had not been able to stop the thoughts of how attractive they were.

Ty Lee had been her first kiss. It had meant nothing, really. She had just been curious as to what all the fuss was about. She liked it, but she was determined that she would use her new knowledge of what to do to get boys because she was such a good little heir. She would get a noble husband and produce noble children to continue the noble line of Sozin. Now, she was free of that constraint. While she had been in prison, she had let herself think more and more about the female guards, about how enticing their bare stomachs were, about how lovely the curves of their breasts and hips were. Azula admired their physical strength and delicacy, a beautiful combination that could not be found in the hard, muscular bodies of the men. Had she still been a princess, she would have ordered one of her servants to lay with her. She would not have thought twice about it. What Azula wanted, Azula got. As long as she had married for political gain, she could do what she wanted in her bedroom. A loveless marriage had always been in her future. Except, now it was not.

"I won't have a man tell me what to do," she said, looking out the window.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't," Iroh mused. "Well, still. You're young. There's plenty of time for that later. Right now, you have other things to occupy your mind."

"Like what?"

He smiled brightly. "Like tea, of course. You have a lot to learn, young lady. I certainly hope you are better with a tea pot than your brother." Azula resisted the urge to snap that she was better at everything than Zuzu.

"Can't say I've ever tried," she replied. "Though I'm sure it can't be all that challenging."

"Making tea is about more than just the action of brewing," Iroh began and Azula detected the beginnings of some sort of spiritual nonsense. "It is about putting oneself at ease, cleansing the mind and soul."

"I hope you don't just give away that wisdom for free," she snipped. "It would be such a shame to waste all that knowledge of imaginary things." She turned sharply to the window, done pretending to be even remotely happy. Six years stuck with this man. Of course, she really had no intention of staying that long. She would work up a network of allies in Ba Sing Se. She may even have some left from before the war ended. She would have to check on that. Once she felt secure in her network, she would make her move, escaping the city. That would probably be terribly easy with just the old man watching her. After that, she was unsure what to do. She could try to take back the fire nation. All she would have to do would be to get close enough to Zuko to challenge him to an Agni Kai. He was such a fool for honor that he would not deny her. She knew she could beat him. Their last encounter had been a fluke. Really, she had won. She had been the first to inflict injury, to burn Zuko. That damned water bender had ruined everything, though.

This time, she would be the true victor. She was smarter, faster, and stronger than Zuko. She always had been. The last Agni Kai would not have been so much of a challenge had she not been falling over into insanity at the time. That had cost her dearly. Her mind was her greatest asset. It was the thing that put her so far above Zuzu in her abilities. Without it, she had been a much easier target. That would not happen again.

"I have a surprise for you at the shop," Iroh continued, ignoring her mood.

"Oh, joy. I can hardly wait."

"I think you'll like this one, Azula."

"Don't hold your breath. Actually," she said, thinking better of it, "please do. Then I won't have to listen to your incessant chatter."

"You know, Azula, I think that some tea could help all that bitterness in your heart."

"No one asked you, old man," she snapped. They rode in silence the rest of the way with Azula bringing her temper under control. She had to make Iroh think that she was changing. That was essential to her plan. She needed them to give her more and more freedom so that she could begin making her network of contacts. Iroh did not seem to mind the silence, humming quietly to himself. Azula ground her teeth together to keep from snapping at him again.

Finally, they reached the tea house. She hopped out of the coach and stalked up to the door before realizing that she needed to wait for Iroh to unlock it. Azula almost growled in frustration. She hated being dependent on other people, hated that she had to have permission to do anything. She was Princess Azula, for Agni's sake.

Iroh took his time getting out, and smiled when he saw Azula waiting for him. "It's open."

She wasted no more time there, yanking the door open only to have someone slam into her, wrapping her into a tight hug. She lifted her arms, startled until she realized that the person assaulting her was none other than Ty Lee.

"Azula!" She pulled back long enough to look at the former princess's face before burying her head in Azula's shoulder. It took the fire bender a moment to register what was happening, but when she did she felt a flicker of genuine happiness, letting her arms return the embrace.

"I thought you weren't going to be here for another month," she said.

"I wasn't, but then your uncle sent me a letter saying you would be here sooner, and I just had to come surprise you!" She beamed, her straight white teeth flashing brightly. Azula found the corners of her own mouth tilting in response. How was it that Ty Lee could do that to her? "Oh, it is so so so good to see you!"

"I'm relatively pleased to see you, as well," Azula said, much more reserved than her friend. She was also surprised to find that she now stood a few inches taller than Ty Lee. The little acrobat had always been just a tad taller, finished growing well before her fourteenth birthday. Azula, however, had almost killed the Avatar, taken Ba Sing Se, and become a brilliant strategist all before her final growth spurt. That had happened in prison, where she had been sitting most of the time, unable to compare her height to that of others.

"Tell me all about the trip! Did you like riding the monorail? Oh, and have you seen Mai lately? Is she huge yet? Oh, I can't believe that she's going to have a baby. Can you imagine? Mai, a mother! It's so weird, right?"

"The monorail was fine," Azula answered neutrally. "I think I scared my guards when I opened the window. They thought I was going to jump out." Ty Lee's face fell instantly.

"Don't….please, 'Zula. Don't joke about that." Azula remembered quite distinctly how Ty Lee had looked as she rushed into Azula's hospital cell after traveling all the way across the Earth Kingdom and then across the sea to get there. It had been enough to make Azula hate herself for a moment. Anyone who caused Ty Lee, sweet, lovable Ty Lee, that kind of pain must be a monster. Of course, Azula already knew that she was a monster. Just ask anyone.

"It wasn't a joke, Ty," she said. "It was just a fact."

"Okay. 'Cause I still sometimes dream that you died, and I …. I don't know what I would do!" There were tears shining in her eyes now, and Azula let her brows tilt into a sympathetic expression. She had a lot of practice forming the proper facial reactions. She had used them in prison to convince her doctors that she was getting better, that she felt bad about what she had done. But she had never really felt anything. When she looked down into Ty Lee's shining eyes, though, she did not have to pretend.

"I'm better now, Ty. Besides, you're here and there's no need to talk of that anymore." She extracted herself from Ty Lee, aware again that her uncle was watching them. "And to answer your other questions, the last time I saw Mai, she was as skinny as ever. And yes, it is weird. She's going to hate it."

"I don't think so," Ty Lee said, sitting at one of the tables. Iroh moved into the back, presumably to make some tea. He had closed the shop that day to let her settle in. If she had not hated him so much, she would have found it a touching gesture. "She's going to be a great mom."

"And how do you come to that conclusion." Azula asked with a raised brow, seating herself opposite Ty Lee.

"Because she's Mai!"

"Brilliant reasoning, Ty." She had meant the words to be a barb, but somehow they came out with affection instead. Ty Lee giggled. She almost always brushed off Azula's insults when she knew that the fire bender did not mean them. The few times Azula had meant them, she had felt horrible afterwards because they usually brought Ty Lee to tears. In fact, Ty Lee was the only person Azula had willingly apologized to. Of course, her mother had forced her to apologize to Zuko on many occasions, but she had never meant them. Given the choice, she would have done whatever it had been that hurt Zuzu again.

"Well, it's true!" She flashed that lovely smile again, and Azula was struck with the jolt it sent through her. She had always thought Ty Lee was attractive. She had even been jealous of the boys that paid her so much attention, and when she was just figuring out her sexuality, she had been tempted to order Ty Lee into her bed. But what she felt now…. that might have gone beyond lust. Ty Lee had been there for her through the years in prison, had apologized profusely for betraying Azula, explaining her reasoning. It had only been to save Mai, not because Ty Lee did not love Azula. Love. That had been the word she used. Of course, Azula knew that Ty Lee meant it in a completely platonic way, if she even meant it at all. Who could really and truly love Azula? No one. Not her mother, not her father, not her brother. Not the damned uncle who she was now forced to live with. No, none of them had ever loved her.

She did not know if Ty Lee did or not. Azula had so little experience with that particular emotion. She had observed it. She had seen how her mother loved Zuko, and had hoped for the same from either Ursa or her father. She had been disappointed in both cases, deciding that she did not need love. If her father could become Firelord without it, then Azula was better off with no love in her life as well.

When she looked at Ty Lee, she was not sure if that was entirely true. What would it be like to love Ty Lee? Not just fuck her, though Azula had fantasized about that plenty of times already, but to really love her. To love anyone. She thought that she probably would not like it. Love made people weak. It made them do stupid things that they regretted later. She would not fall victim to that no matter how happy it seemed to make people. Azula already knew how to live without happiness. She was not sure if she could really exist any other way.

Ty Lee was prattling on and on about something or other to do with the circus. Maybe about a tight rope walking platypusbear, or something. Azula was not really listening, though Ty Lee's words did not bother her like Iroh's. Somehow, she enjoyed that high little voice. It was so childish still, even though Ty lee was nearly twenty.

"It's getting late," Azula finally said, cutting off another story. "I've had a long day and I know Uncle is just dying to start training me."

"Okay, Azula." Ty Lee stood and helped Iroh put away the tea before returning to give Azula a hug. "I'll come back tomorrow and see how your first day of work goes!" She waved goodbye, practically skipping out the door.

"She's such a sweet girl," Iroh said.

"Yes, she is," Azula agreed before she could catch herself. "Of course, she's a twit, but she can be amusing at times." Iroh just smiled knowingly. Azula did not like that smile. It made it seem like Iroh thought he had her figured out. "It's not like I have many friends to choose from."

"And whose fault is that?"

Azula glared at him. "Don't you have something to do? Some tea to sort?" She waved her hand in the air with practiced ease. Even four years in prison had not been able to diminish her natural superiority. It was all fine and dandy for Iroh to forget that he had royal blood, but Azula never would. Titles could be stripped away, but no one could take the blood of Sozin from her veins.

"Indeed I do," Iroh said with a sweeping bow. Azula suspected he was mocking her, but she let it slide this time. "As do you." Azula wanted to protest, but she did not. She knew this was part of the deal. She worked for Iroh and she waited. So she followed him to the back to begin the horrifically menial task of learning the different types of teas.

After a couple of hours of that, Iroh declared that it was time to go home. When they reached the spacious apartment, Azula nodded approvingly. It was no palace, but it was one of the best that Ba Sing Se had to offer. There was a room for her and one for Iroh, and even a guest room. Briefly, she thought about Ty Lee being able to stay there but pushed it from her mind. Ridiculous. She liked Ty Lee, but there was no need for her to spend the night.

Finally free of her Uncle, Azula laid down to sleep, the worst part of any day. It was the time of day when her firm grasp on her sanity slipped. So far she had managed to fool everyone into thinking that she was back to her old self, but when the nightmares came…. Azula dreaded the nights. She hoped very much that she would not wake up screaming as she had the night before, frightening her guards. They were stupid and she had been able to pass it off as nervousness. Her healers would have known better. Iroh would know better.

Azula pulled the blanket tighter around herself and tried to think of other things. Usually, she distracted herself with plans. Tonight, she thought about how to start making contacts. Somehow she would have to figure a way down into the middle and lower rings without Uncle finding out. That would be difficult. She knew that she would be closely monitored. Perhaps she would just have to give it a few weeks. Maybe even months. Really, she was in no rush. These things took time if they were to be done properly. Azula could be patient when she wanted to be.

Her thoughts drifted back to Ty Lee. As gruff as she had been, it really had been a wonderful surprise to see the energetic acrobat. And she had looked so beautiful. She always looked beautiful. Azula had always thought so, even when they were children. She had been jealous much of the time, of the attention that the boys gave Ty Lee, but it was not Ty Lee that she was jealous of. It was the boys. Azula wanted Ty Lee to look at her that way, to want her. Because Azula wanted Ty Lee, too. She wanted the young woman in her bed. She wanted to dominate Ty Lee, to make her do everything that Azula asked. Her body shivered as she thought more about it, forgetting her previous plans.

She wondered what sounds Ty Lee would make. Azula did not have much to base her imaginings off of. She had been a few weeks away from her fifteenth birthday when she had been thrown in prison. Once there, she really had no chance to learn about sex. Not that she had wanted to for the most part. Sure, she was human, so there were times that she had been curious, especially before her break down. Most of her fantasies had starred a certain little acrobat, though they had sometimes been other people.

Azula wondered if she could order Ty Lee into her bed. If she had still been a princess, there would have been no doubt. Ty Lee would have done anything she ordered. But what about now?

Frustrated, Azula turned onto her side, regretting the decision almost immediately when she saw that she was now facing the floor length mirror on the wall. Sighing in resignation, she looked into the eyes of her mother.

"What do you want tonight?" she asked wearily.

"I just wanted to check on you, Azula." Ursa sat down behind her, their eyes locking through the mirror. "I know that this must have been a tough move for you."

"Yes. I'm sure you're just torn to pieces about it." The image of her mother had haunted her on and off since the Agni Kai. Azula had lost over a year of her memory. She remembered that water bending bitch chaining her to the ground and Zuko getting up, not dead as Azula had hoped. Then it came in brief flashes. She recalled being transported, and of Zuko blabbering about the situation. She remembered healers. So many healers. They were fascinated by her, and she hated them. Things got clearer the farther along she went, but the first truly solid piece of memory that she could recall was of the look on Ty Lee's face after Azula had called her stupid and simple and weak. That was when things started becoming clear again.

"Did you enjoy seeing Ty Lee?"

"Go away, Mother. I'm tired."

"Only you can decide that it is time for me to leave."

Azula groaned and turned away from the mirror to look at the empty space where she knew her mother had never been. The nightmares would be bad that night. They always were when her mother decided to visit. In preparation, Azula pulled a pillow over her head, hoping that it would muffle any screams she might make.

Dawn could not come fast enough.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** This story is so not up to my standards, but whatever. hope you guys enjoy it. And please review if you want to. I love reviews.

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Ty Lee was practically bouncing with excitement as she dragged Azula along behind her. Iroh followed them at a healthy distance, though not too far as to get lost in the crowd. The festival was just so exciting that she could not let Azula sit inside and not experience it. Of course, it was not as brilliant as the Fire Days Festival back home, but still, it was better than the monotony of working in a tea shop. Azula had agreed to go much more quickly than Ty Lee would have thought, but the acrobat was not asking questions.

"Come on, Zula!" She held the fire bender's fingers tightly, weaving her way through the throng. "Lee told me that they're going to have an earth bending demonstration at noon. We have to hurry if we want a good spot!"

"I don't care about that," Azula snipped. "I just wanted to get out of that damned tea house." She turned her head to shoot a glare at her uncle. Ty Lee knew that Azula felt stifled at the tea house. Even though she had spent years in a cell, now that freedom was so close, it was almost harder for her. That was why Ty Lee had wanted to get her to come. She had convinced Iroh that it would be a good idea, and the older man had agreed to close the shop and come along with them to keep an eye on Azula. He claimed that there would not be many customers that day anyway, not with the festival going on.

"It will be fun, Azula," Ty Lee flashed her a smile and was rewarded with a tiny one in return. Over the last three weeks, she had learned what made Azula soften and what made her go all cold and hard. Most of it was the same as it had been when they were kids, but a few things had changed. Zuko and Mai were usually topics that would get Ty Lee a glare and several choice words. She didn't bring them up very much anymore. If she wanted news from home, she asked Iroh while Azula was busy. On the other side, she had realized that if she gave Azula one of her trademark smiles she almost always received one in return, even though it was usually smaller and perhaps a bit forced.

Ty Lee thought that Azula was the most beautiful when she smiled.

"I fail to see how being crushed to death is going to be fun," Azula drawled, roughly elbowing people out of her way.

"Don't you want to see the Earth Benders?"

"Why would I want to see people push around some rocks and dirt?"

Ty Lee did not deflate at her attitude. That was just how Azula handled things. "Maybe you'll learn something. Like a new fire bending technique!" She knew that Iroh had learned how to redirect lighting by observing the water benders.

"I'm not allowed to fire bend anymore, Ty Lee," Azula bit back. Oh, that's right. Ty Lee had forgotten that. It was on her list of things not to talk about.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forgot." She bit her lip and slowed their pace. "Well…. we don't have to see the earth benders, I guess. I just thought it might be fun." Iroh caught up to them as they stood to the side of the crowd.

"No earth benders today?" he asked. "What a shame. I do appreciate their technique. It takes a lot of determination to bend earth. It's a very stubborn element."

"They should try bending fire," Azula said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Try bending an element that wants to turn back on you." Fire was the most unruly of the four elements, requiring fire benders to know when to exert full control and when to let the fire take its own course. No one could force it to do something it did not want to do. It was pure, unadulterated power.

"I know all about fire, Azula," Iroh reminded her. "But you should take the time to learn about the other three. Ty Lee is right. You might learn something. There will come a day when Fire Lord Zuko will welcome you back home, and you will bend fire again."

"Do you really believe that dear Zuzu will ever let me bend again?" Ty lee recognized the dangerous tone. Azula was getting ready to cause a scene. "Even he's not enough of a fool to let that happen."

"I'm sure that your Uncle just meant that you shouldn't give up hope," Ty Lee interjected.

"I never give up hope," Azula said before turning back into the throng. "Fine. If you two are so insistent, I suppose I don't have a choice." Ty Lee followed her after giving Iroh a helpless look. Sometimes it was hard to be around Azula. The other girl's aura was nearly impossible to read. For someone who didn't believe in spiritual things, Azula sure did have great control over them.

The earth bending demonstration was everything Ty Lee had hoped it would be. She squealed with excitement as the benders practically danced around each other. It was not as graceful as fire bending, but Ty Lee could definitely appreciate its beauty. Azula, on the other hand, watched with apparent boredom, though Ty Lee saw that her eyes never left the benders. She was calculating something. Ty Lee had seen that look enough times to know. It worried her. Wasn't Azula supposed to be trying to just be normal? She shouldn't be thinking about any kind of plots. That could get her thrown back in prison, and that would be awful. Ty Lee didn't think that she could handle the separation again. Not after being spoiled these past few weeks. She was even contemplating leaving the circus again when it was time for them to move on from Ba Sing Se. She didn't know what she would do, but she did know that she would do almost anything to stay near Azula. The disgraced princess needed her, whether she admitted it or not. Ty Lee would not abandon her again.

"I have another performance tomorrow," Ty Lee said casually as they walked through the vending stall set up for the festival. Ty Lee was still not sure what exactly the festival was for. Some earth day something or other. It didn't matter, really. It was a chance to shop and have fun.

"You have a performance almost every night," Azula replied, regarding a few crudely made dolls with disdain.

"Yeah, but I thought… I mean you haven't had a chance to come see one yet and I know you don't have to work tomorrow night…. I just thought that maybe…" She wasn't sure why this was so hard. All she had to do was ask Azula if she wanted to come watch. It wouldn't be all that hard, really.

"What, Ty Lee? Just spit it out."

"I thought maybe you could come and see me. I would like that." She blushed furiously, angry at herself for letting her feelings affect her that way. She never got so tongue tied when talking to a boy. She was a master at flirting, even Azula thought so. Boys were so easy, so simple to figure out. But not Azula. The former princess was complex and still mostly a mystery to Ty Lee. The acrobat wondered if maybe it was because Azula had never had a real childhood. It had been taken from her by her father. Azula wasn't like other girls. Azula wasn't like anyone Ty Lee had ever met. Sure, she took after her father, but there was more to her than that. She was so much deeper than Ozai.

"You know I can't, Ty Lee." There might have been a touch of sadness in her voice. "I can't leave the house without Uncle and he's having guests tomorrow."

"Oh." She should have expected it, but the rejection hurt all the same. "Well, that's okay. It would probably be boring anyway." She tried to smile, and Azula gently touched Ty Lee's cheek. She had never done that before.

"It wouldn't have been boring, Ty." She patted Ty Lee's cheek before letting her hand drop back to her side. "I've seen you perform before. It could never be boring." The words sent a thrill through Ty Lee's heart, and she beamed. How could such simple words from Azula do more than any number of confessions of love and adoration from the numerous boys who followed her around? "Here, look. I'll buy you this to make up for it." Azula held up a jade necklace. "You like this kind of stuff, right?"

Ty Lee nodded. "But it's too much. I don't need anything like that as long as I get to spend time with you!" Azula looked startled for a moment. She always did when Ty Lee said things like that, as though she could not believe that someone would willingly want to spend time with her. Ty Lee was not so stupid that she didn't know why. She knew Azula. She knew Azula better than anyone, really. She had no illusions about all the bad things Azula had done, but she also knew that there was good inside Azula, too. She had seen it in the way that she cared for her giant eel hound while they were chasing after Zuko and the Avatar. Or last week when she had seen Azula feeding a stray bearded cat outside the tea house. The princess had insisted that it was only because they were so good at keeping away vermin, not because she felt bad for it or anything like that.

Ty Lee suspected that Azula's breakdown had been in part because of the two conflicting sides of herself. She had learned from Zuko that the royal siblings had both the blood of Sozin and that of Avatar Ruko. The forces of evil and good battled heavily inside Azula. Before, she had so much control over herself, but that had cracked and broken as the stress of her situation took its toll. Azula had not had the guidance to choose what was right like Zuko had.

"Nonsense," Azula scoffed, taking the necklace to the teller. She dug around in her pocket for some money that her uncle had given her. When she was done, she stepped into Ty Lee's personal space to clasp the necklace around her neck. "Perfect." She was close enough that her breath caressed Ty Lee's face gently. For a moment, the acrobat thought that Azula would kiss her, but the moment passed and Azula stepped back. "Now, can we go home? I've had enough of peasants for one day."

Ty Lee followed her back to Iroh, where Azula convinced her uncle to let them leave. She could not think of anything to say. All she could do was finger the necklace. Azula had never given her anything before, and certainly not something so pretty and expensive. She did not even notice that they were headed back to Iroh's apartment, not the shop, until Azula was pushing her up the stairs.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I should have turned off a while ago." The circus was stationed outside the inner wall, and Ty Lee should have gone straight there. It was late enough in the day that she would not make it before it was dark now that she had gone all the way to the upper ring. "Oh, bother. I'll have to see if I can get a coach." She frowned. Though she had been saving money, she didn't want to waste any of it on such an expensive ride. All the way across the city. How could she have been so stupid and distracted?

"That's preposterous," Azula said, leading Ty Lee into the sitting room. "You don't have to perform tonight. You'll just stay here. We have the extra room, and I'm sure Uncle wouldn't mind."

"Of course, Ty Lee," Iroh said pleasantly from the kitchen where he was going about making dinner. "It's not safe walking through Ba Sing Se at night. Especially not through the lower ring. I know you can take care of yourself, but why take the chance when you can stay here and share a nice cup of tea with an old man and his cranky niece." Azula gave Iroh a rude gesture, but as always, he ignored her.

"Well, okay. I guess that makes sense. And I can take the monorail back in the morning!" Azula smiled slightly at her enthusiasm.

"I don't know why you love that thing so much. It's always full of smelly peasants." Azula joined her uncle in the kitchen, and Ty Lee wondered if she even realized how much she was already changing. Offering her help without being prompted first, buying gifts, smiling even though someone else was not in pain.

"Oh, Azula, you get to meet so many interesting people, though! Just yesterday, I met a man who once spent a year in the plains herding ostrich horses!"

"Sounds completely fascinating." Ty Lee knew when Azula was being sarcastic, and she didn't mind at all.

"It is!" She smiled as Azula and Iroh brought in some rice and vegetables.

"It sounds like you understand people, young Ty Lee," the old man said.

"I do like to read auras," Ty Lee said. "And it's just so much fun to hear about all the adventures they've had."

"I imagine that you have a few good stories yourself."

"I do! Oh, like, Azula, remember the time that we trashed that beach party!"

"Yes." Azula's voice was cold, and Ty Lee remembered that Zuko and Mai had been there, too.

"It…it was a lot of fun. That trip, I mean." It really had been. Especially later than night after Zuko and Mai had gone to bed and Ty Lee had stayed up with Azula, just talking. It was one of the few times she had felt like a true friend of the princess. It had been something normal in a whole sea of extraordinary things.

"I do recall not completely hating it," Azula admitted. "Though it was difficult to get you away from all those boys." The jealousy was quite clear this time. "All fawning over you like some love sick polar bear dog pups." Iroh looked at Azula suspiciously, in a way that Ty Lee did not understand.

"I couldn't help it!" she protested. "Guys just like me. I'm not intimidating and scary like you, lightning girl."

"Well, they just didn't appreciate my awesome power." Azula tossed her head back, sending her bangs flailing.

"I thought you didn't want any boyfriends," Iroh said suddenly. Azula's jaw tensed for a moment.

"I don't. I just like it when people worship me as they should," she explained. "Like Ty Lee, here. She knows what's right."

"I see." Iroh glanced between them a few times before letting the conversation move on to other things, mostly Ty Lee talking about all the people she had met on the monorail. Eventually, Iroh announced that he was going to bed. Azula soon followed after showing Ty Lee to the guest room. It was really nice, with a plush bed that was more like Fire Nation beds than those of the Earth Kingdom. Ty Lee appreciated that. There were still a lot of things she missed about home.

She slept soundly for several hours until a soft whine woke her. After several years in the circus, she had grown sensitive to sounds at night. Even though she was an acrobat, she had done her fair share of care for the animals, sometimes sleeping near sick ones. The sounds of distress woke her easily, and she searched for the source. It was coming from Azula's room. Carefully, Ty Lee slid open the door to see the former princess curled into a ball in the corner, her eye shut tight and her hands pressed over her mouth.

"Azula?" Ty Lee approached her cautiously. She knew that in this state, Azula might attack before she realized what was going on. It happened with the animals all the time. "Azula, honey, it's okay. What's wrong?" The other girl did not seem to hear here. Ty Lee knelt next to the hunched form, letting her hand rest on Azula's arm. As soon as she felt the touch, Azula threw herself fully into Ty Lee's embrace, sobbing into the girl's shoulder. Startled, Ty Lee, held her tight.

"I'll go get your uncle," she said, scared and unsure what to do. Never had she seen Azula like this. Even in prison, she had been more put together. Of course, Ty Lee had not seen her that first year. Mai said that most of that had been spent in a similar state to the one Azula was in now.

"No!" The word was strangled and desperate, and Azula clung harder to Ty Lee's shirt. "Don't….please."

Please. Never….never had she ever heard Azula say please to her. Not in a genuine sense at least. "Okay, Zula, okay. I'm right here."

"Make it stop," the former princess continued. "Gods, please make it stop."

"I… I can't. Azula, I don't know how to help," Ty Lee said. She knew that she was crying now, the tears falling onto Azula's dark hair. "I don't know what's wrong."

"They won't leave me alone."

"Who won't leave you alone?"

"Mother. Father. Grandfather." Azula shuddered, pushing herself even more against Ty Lee. She was too thin and her bony frame stuck Ty Lee at odd angles. "They keep telling me things. I'm not good enough. I'm a disgrace. How can I call myself a child of Sozin?"

"You're not a disgrace, Zula. You're perfect."

"Lies. I failed at everything. I couldn't even beat my idiot brother. I don't deserve to live. I wish he had killed me in the Agni Kai."

"Please, no, Azula." Ty Lee's throat constricted harshly. "You don't mean that."

"I do. It would be better than living with this shame."

"Don't talk like that! I can't stand it, Azula. I wouldn't be able to take it if you had died." Azula did not seem to hear her.

"Even Mother. She says she loves me, but I know it's a lie." She shot and angry glare behind her. There was nothing there but the mirror. "Shut up! I know how you feel about me!" This really scared Azula. If she was seeing things that weren't there, then she was in more trouble than Ty Lee had first thought.

"Azula, please let me get your Uncle. He'll know what to do."

"No! He'll just send me back." Azula looked up at Ty Lee with wide, terrified eyes. Ty Lee didn't think that Azula had ever been scared in her life. She could bend lightning. She was Azula, the most beautiful, smartest, perfect girl in the world. "I can't go back. I can't."

"You need help," Ty Lee pleaded.

"I can do it. I can handle it," Azula muttered, more to herself than to the girl holding her. "They won't get me again. I'm Azula. I can do anything. I can….Please don't leave me."

"No, never," Ty Lee promised. "I'll never leave you, Azula."

"Stay here with me." It was an order, but it lacked all the practiced ease and entitled haughtiness that Azula usually used.

"Okay. I'll just stay here with you. I'm not going anywhere." Ty Lee held her tighter, stroking her hair. Slowly, Azula's trembling lessened, and Ty Lee realized that she was asleep, though her face was still troubled. Unable to extract herself, and unsure if she wanted to, Ty Lee stayed the night with Azula, whispering encouraging words to her, and fretting over what this meant about the former princess's sanity. Clearly she was not as well as she would have everyone believe. Ty Lee wondered if she should tell Iroh even though Azula did not want her to. He would know what to do. But then….what if Azula was right? What if he sent her back to the Fire Nation, back to the healers and to the mental facility? That might break Azula. What if she…if she tried to kill herself again? Ty Lee shivered at the thought. There was no way she was letting them take Azula back there. She would just have to figure out a way to help the former princess herself.

"I'll protect you. Don't worry."

She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, Azula was pushing her away, standing quickly, looking uncertain and cornered.

"You have to promise not to tell Uncle," she hissed, snatching up Ty Lee's collar and bringing their faces closer. "I swear to the gods, Ty Lee. If you breath of word of what happened last night-"

"I'm not going to tell anyone, Azula," she promised quickly, hurt that Azula would think that she would do such a thing. But, hadn't she betrayed Azula before? Ty Lee supposed it wasn't that much of an unexpected reaction. "I swear. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Of course I'm fine," Azula snapped. "Everyone had nightmare, don't they?"

"But you said that…they talked to you."

"In my dreams, Ty Lee." She let go of the acrobat's shirt.

"Azula… you can tell me," Ty Lee said softly. "I just want to help you."

"That's what they all said, and none of them did. I helped myself."

"But, Azula…I…"

"What, Ty Lee? What?" She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to the side, obviously expecting an answer.

"I care about you. A lot."

"Enough to stab me in the back."

This was wrong. Azula hadn't brought up the Boiling Rock in ages. Ty Lee thought they were past that.  
"I told you why I did that. I couldn't let you kill Mai! Azula please!"

"You're just going to go and tell Uncle as soon as my back's turned, I know it." Ty Lee could see that Azula was on the verge of slipping. This was the kind of talk that could signal an oncoming breakdown.

"I would never do that! I wouldn't do that to you!"

"How do I know that?"

"Because…I…because…"

"I'm waiting, Ty Lee."

"Because I love you!"

Ty Lee blinked twice before bringing her hands up to cover her mouth as Azula stared at her.

"You don't mean that. Besides, you love Mai, too, don't you? That's no guarantee."

Ty Lee took a deep breath, knowing that she would have to be courageous in order to talk Azula down. "I do mean it. I mean it with everything I have. And yes, I love Mai, too. But I…I don't just love you, Zula. I'm….I'm _in_ love with you." Surprise registered in Azula's eyes for a moment, though it was quickly covered up.

"No you're not," she spat, turning away sharply. "You can't."

"And why not?"

"No one can love me. I'm a monster."

So many people had said it to Azula over the years, even her own mother. Ty Lee could see why she would believe it. "No you're not." She carefully put her hand on Azula's shoulder. "I've always loved you. It's only ever been you."

"What about all those boys?" Azula turned her head slightly to look at Ty Lee out of the corner of her eye. "You are always flirting with someone."

"I…I just wanted you to notice me. I saw that you got jealous when I flirted, and I wanted to get your attention."

Azula turned back to face Ty Lee fully. "Are you a lesbian then?"

"I don't know. I mean, maybe." Ty Lee sighed. She had asked herself that over the years. There were other women she found attractive, but no one as beautiful or intoxicating as Azula. "It doesn't matter because I only want you." Then she realized that Azula might not want her back. Azula might hate her now, think that she was disgusting for such an unnatural kind of love. "I…I know you probably hate me now, but I…I don't expect anything from you. I know you don't feel the same way, but I just… You have to know that I would never sell you out, Azula. I wouldn't ever do that to you."

Azula regarded her for a moment. "What if I said I could never love you? What would you do then?"

"I would be really sad, but I would still stay with you," Ty Lee said, not liking the way it made her heart hurt. "I'll never leave you. Unless that was what you wanted."

"What about when your circus leaves?"

"I'm staying. I… I was going to tell them tonight."

"I see." Azula sighed.

"Do you hate me?"

"No."

"But… it's not…"

"Not natural? Not what your parents wanted for you? When have you ever cared about that?"

"Never, I guess." Ty Lee frowned slightly. "But doesn't it make you…uncomfortable?" Azula was not exactly reacting how Ty Lee had expected.

"Not at all. I know that I'm stunningly beautiful." She tossed her loose hair over her shoulder. "And I have no problem being adored. It's my birthright." Ty Lee couldn't help the giggle that bubbled in her throat. "You really love me?"

"I do." She tried to read Azula's eyes, and there was an odd burning intensity there that almost scared her. "A lot."

Azula leaned forward and very deliberately put her lips against Ty Lee's. The acrobat hesitated for a moment before leaning into the kiss. It was wonderful, and her heart fluttered, and almost exploded when Azula put her hand on Ty Lee's chest right above the palpitating organ. All too soon, the former princess pulled back.

"Satisfactory," she announced. "I may want to do that again in the future, but now we have to get ready. I have a busy day, and you need to get back to your ridiculously exciting life as a circus freak."

Ty Lee pouted, but really could not find a reason to be sad. "Okay, Zula." She couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face as she let Azula push her from the room. Her announcement of her undying love for the former princess had gone much better than she would have thought, but that did not distract her from what had happened the night before. There was something wrong with Azula, and Ty Lee was going to make sure that they stubborn former princess did not go through it alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **To the person who commented in their review that Azula would never use curse words, I would like to politely disagree. I gave it a lot of thought, and I think that she would if the situation were right. I appreciate your constructive criticism, and I respectfully decline it. I would have like to respond to you in private, but since you were not logged in, I could not. I will explain my reasoning, though, and hope that you will not let her use of language keep you from reading further.

Firstly, Azula did not curse in canon for two reasons. One being that it is a children's show aimed at 12 year olds, second because she was only 14.

I would argue that she has changed a lot since then. Perhaps she would not originally have been inclined to use such words, but after four years in prison (of which one was spent in complete insanity), an unstable mind, and a situation over which she has very little control could very well change her personality.

I would also like to defend myself for my choice. In any of my writing, I never throw in curse words for no reason. I always think carefully about which ones to use (if at all) and where to use them. Nothing I write is arbitrary.

Thank you all for reading. Now on with the story!

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Azula hated her skin and bones body. She should have more muscles, fuller curves. Instead, she could count every rib, her shoulder blades stuck out at odd angels, and her knees were hideous knobby things. Azula had never been delicate in her life, and she hated being so now. Years of disuse had ruined the athletic body she had worked so hard to get. Fire bending may not have required fitness of body, but all the other fighting techniques in which she was proficient did. Every time she looked in the mirror as she dressed, she wanted to turn away. She had been so beautiful once.

She shrugged on her shirt, fastening the ties around her too thin waist. She would get there. Every morning she was doing her exercises again, training her muscles back to how they should be. She was eating more, now that she had more choices than the slop they fed her in prison. That was one thing she would give Iroh. The man did know good food. He would go a long way in helping get her weight back up. She wanted to look good for Ty Lee.

What? No…. no she did not. Not for Ty Lee. Not at all. Azula groaned in frustration as she pulled on her soft boots. She did not care what Ty Lee thought of her body. If she was going to order the girl into her bed, then she would just do it. She did not care about whether or not Ty Lee was concerned about her weight. Azula certainly did not waste her time thinking about how Ty Lee would react to seeing Azula's thin frame up close. No, she did not think about that at all. Or about how her lovely round face would fall as she counted every rid, or how her eyes would probably tear up and completely ruin the mood.

Azula never thought about any of that. Her exercises were for her benefit only. She would be strong again.

"Azula, are you ready to go?"

"One moment, Uncle." She was actually strangely excited for the day. Her uncle was finally going to let her travel to the market on her own to pick up some supplies for him. It would give her a chance to test the waters and see if there was any way she could get a foot hold into the vast information network in Ba Sing Se. This time she would not have the benefit of commanding the Dai Li, but that was fine. She could do it on her own given enough time.

Better yet, she was being allowed to attend Ty Lee's performance that night. Not that she would ever admit it, but Azula loved watching Ty Lee. The girl's movements were so graceful and powerful. The way her body arched and twisted did wonderful things for Azula.

And Ty Lee loved her.

It was a very strange thing for Azula to accept. It had taken two weeks for her to become accustomed enough to the idea that she no longer started in bewilderment when Ty Lee said the words. The best part was that the little acrobat did not expect Azula to say them in return. That was good, because the former princess would certainly never lower herself to admitting- no, to _feeling_ such a useless emotion. It would get her nowhere. Regardless, she enjoyed that Ty Lee felt it for her. It made her feel powerful. She missed feeling powerful.

"Do you have your list," Iroh asked her as they walked to the Jasmine Dragon.

"Of course," she said. "I'm not a simpleton."

"Even the greatest minds can forget things from time to time," Iroh told her with a sage nod of his head. Azula rolled her eyes. She could not be rid of him soon enough. Five weeks and three days. That was how long she had been in this hell hole. Ty Lee kept promising her that it would get better, but it never did. She had to deal with the same ridiculous Earth Kingdom nobles at the tea house every day. They were all the same, thinking that they were better than her. If only they knew who she was, that she had taken their great city when she was just fourteen years old, that she was once one of the greatest fire benders to ever live, that even in the throes of insanity she had been able to command lightning. That she was the great granddaughter of the legendary Sozin. Perhaps if they knew all that they would show her the proper amount of fear and respect. Azula had been born to be feared.

"Not me," Azula assured him. Azula was a perfectionist, and not counting the year of complete insanity, she was not the kind of person to overlook even the minutest detail. Those had been a shameful few years, locked away, unable to even feed herself. How disgraceful. Never again. She would never again let herself lapse into such a state of helplessness. Her demons would not take her like that again. They would learn to fear her just as everyone else did. Azula was the scariest demon of them all, and they would know their place. "I never forget anything, unlike you, Uncle."

"You should lighten up, Azula," Iroh said. "Not everything has to be so serious. Learn to have some fun." Azula frowned. She had heard other people talk about fun, and during the war she thought she understood what they meant, but her healers had informed her that conquering a city, or ordering around her army, or winning a fight were not things that were usually considered 'fun.'

"Fun is for the weak," she muttered. If having fun could distract her from her goals, then she had no use for it at all.

"Do you think your friend Ty Lee is weak?"

Azula did not hesitate to answer. "She is strong in body and weak of mind. She is easy to manipulate, and she has a simple and naïve outlook on life."

"She was strong enough to defy you," Iroh reminded her. Azula clenched her jaw.

"A mistake that she paid for," she ground out.

"So you think that Ty Lee is weak because she enjoys life and doesn't try to dominate people?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes," Azula said. Because he was one of the two people she actually talked to on a regular basis, Azula found herself admitting more to Iroh that she had first wanted to. He had a strange way about him that made her forget all her plans to lie. "The strong get ahead, and the weak follow them."

"So you are the strong one here."

"I was." She sighed. "Not anymore. Dear Zuzu took care of that."

"Your brother wants to help you."

"More like he wants to cage me," she argued. "He just doesn't have the guts to do it properly." If their positions had been switched, Azula would not have hesitated to end Zuko. She still hated him, but now she knew that killing him would be a mistake. At least for the time being. She needed to win back his trust somehow. Either that or start a following of disgruntled fire nation citizens. There were plenty of people who did not approve of the Fire Lord's new gentle approach to international politics. He had downsized the military, paid war reparations, and issued official apologies to the other nations. He had disgraced the proud people of the Fire Nation. Azula knew that if she wanted to, and if she was careful enough, she could stage a coup and take the throne for herself. She was still sifting through her possible moves in her head.

"You think Zuko is weak for showing you mercy?" Iroh sounded genuinely curious, but Azula knew he was baiting her, waiting for her to say something that would damn her back to prison.

"I just think that it was foolish for him to leave such a threat to his position alive," she replied with disinterest. "It has nothing to do with family or mercy. It has to do with keeping the Fire Nation strong. I don't think Zuzu quite has what it takes."

"And you do?"

"I didn't say that," she said smoothly, pleased with how unrushed and casual it sounded. She was an excellent liar after all. Let him think it was just a clinical observation. "It could be anyone. Even Mai would do a better job. She knows what needs to be done."

"Mai argued for leniency towards you," Iroh informed her. Azula frowned. She had not known that. Funny that Ty Lee had not mentioned it at all. Of course, Ty Lee knew that bringing up Mai was a good way to get on Azula's bad side. "Zuko wanted to put you in a real prison, but Mai asked him to get you help instead."

"Then she's not as intelligent as I thought," Azula said, not liking the strange feeling bubbling in her stomach. It was foolish for Mai to do that. She was not an idiot like Ty Lee. She knew what Azula was capable of. "Perhaps love has made her soft."

"Perhaps so."

Azula was not sure why Iroh agreed with her. She had expected him to argue and say something disgusting about the power of love. She glanced over at him, trying to gage his expression, but it was just as pleasant as always. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter. I'm here and he won."

"You know Azula, there are things you are better at than your brother."

"Like everything."

"What I mean is that when you go back home to the Fire Nation, you could be of use to him," Iroh said thoughtfully. "You could be a valued advisor, Azula, if you wanted to."

"I would rather-" she stopped herself abruptly, and took a deep breath. "I don't think that an advisory role is one that would suit me."

"You should give it some thought." He unlocked the door to the Jasmine Dragon and ushered Azula inside. "You have a good head for management." It was true. She had begun her work as a simple server, which had been one of the most degrading things she could have imagined, but quickly Iroh had been forced to promote her to a more managerial role. She kept the other servers in order, kept the finances in order, kept the stock room in order. Azula may have hated where she was and what she was doing, but she would never let anyone ever say that she was lazy. She would be the best at what she did, whatever that may be.

She did not answer Iroh, ready to be out of his company for a while. After she made sure that she shop would not fall apart while she was gone, Azula departed to the Middle Ring to collect the supplies that Iroh needed. He gave her a stern warning to behave herself before letting her go.

A part of her, a very large part, wanted to just run, to take this chance and get as far from Ba Sing Se as possible. She could do it. She could do it easily. There was no one to stop her, and she would be long gone before Iroh even realized what had happened. He would never be able to find her, and even if Zuzu sent out search parties, Azula was smart enough to evade them. It would be so wonderful to just take off and not look back. She could establish herself amongst the criminals. She would be a mastermind, controlling her army of urchins until she had gathered enough power to make a move on Zuko. The plan laid itself in front of her, beautiful and perfect. It was well within her abilities, though it would take some time. Which she had plenty of.

But then she thought about Ty Lee. And Ty Lee's stupid adorable face, and how much Ty Lee would cry if Azula left, and how hurt Ty Lee would be.

Azula growled out loud, startling the woman walking next to her. Why did stupid Ty Lee have to pop into her mind? That ruined everything. Or did it? There was no reason why she could not take Ty Lee with her. She was relatively sure the acrobat would not protest too much. Had she not promised that she would never leave Azula? She could stop on her way out of the city and pick up the girl from her filthy circus life and continue on. Perhaps they would go to Omashu. That seemed like a good place to start. The old king there was probably going to kick the bucket any day now. He was ancient. The succession would leave some internal turmoil, which was exactly the environment that Azula needed to implement her plan.

Except….she remembered now that Ty Lee was at the Palace at the moment. Her troupe was performing for the King. She would not be back until later that afternoon. Azula cursed under her breath, taking a moment to stop and think. She still could leave without Ty Lee. There was nothing stopping her, certainly not….feelings. No, those, if she even had them, would not get in her way. She could not let them. Except that she kept picturing those big gray eyes and that upturned nose and those lips that were always in a smile, and she knew that she would not be able to do it.

Damn Ty Lee for doing this to her. This was exactly what she had always feared. Her attachment to another person was ruining her chances at escape. Who knew when she would have another opportunity? Iroh was accompanying her to Ty Lee's performance that night. She would not be able to leave then.

Suddenly, she wondered if this was why Iroh had let her go off by herself. He had known that Ty Lee would be at the palace. Had he also known that for some inexplicable reason Azula would not be able to run off without the acrobat? That sneaky old man. Part of her burned with hate, but another part had to admire him for his cleverness. She had not even realized what he did until it was too late.

Now she was angry with herself for being unable to just shove it in the old man's face and leave anyway. She should. She should prove to him that he did not have her figured out at all, that she was not so attached to Ty Lee that she could not leave. As her anger built, she found her feet taking her to the monorail. Yes, that was good. That was where she needed to go. Get on the monorail, take it all the way out of Ba Sing Se, and never look back.

She was already at the ticket office before she stopped, cursed, and turned back around. Damn that old man, and damn Ty Lee, and damn her brother and his little whore of a wife, and damn the Avatar, and damn her father, and damn her mother.

"Fuck," Azula muttered as she stomped down the steps and back to the street. This was ridiculous. Sure she liked Ty Lee. She did not think there was anyone who had met the acrobat who did _not_ like her. But to care enough that it was interfering with her plans was not acceptable. Had she not promised herself that she would work on caring about Ty Lee less? That was clearly not working. "Fuck fuck fuck!" A woman near her shot her a glare and covered her child's ears. Azula sneered right back at her and gave her an incredibly rude hand gesture before saying "fuck" once more. She stalked through the streets until she found the shop that Iroh needed, making the purchase with less civility than a raging dragon before storming from the establishment.

On her way back to the Jasmine Dragon, she tried to cool herself down. She could not let herself get out of control. Not again. That control was crucial. She already lost it at night, though Iroh thankfully slept like a log and never seemed to hear her. She had to keep as much of a hold on herself as she could during the day. The little bout of profanity had also been uncalled for. Incredibly distasteful and not fitting for someone of her status. A bad habit that she acquired in prison. Guards had such limited vocabularies and were often reduced to the basest language. She had been privileged with the best education the Fire Nation could offer. She knew a great deal of words that could have replaced 'fuck.' It was much more impressive to dazzle someone with her stunning use of words than to simply shock them into silence with vulgarity. She would be more careful of that in the future.

Although, there was a certain kind of efficiency that came with cursing. So much could be conveyed with so few words, and Azula did so love efficiency. Perhaps she would keep them tucked away in her vocabulary, ready to use should she need them.

Azula shook her head. However she chose to express it, she was in trouble. The very fact that she had thought of someone else's happiness and how it would be affected by her actions was incredibly disturbing, even if that person was Ty Lee. That could become a serious problem in the future. If Ty Lee did not agree with her plans to try and wrangle the throne back, would she allow herself to be dissuaded? She liked to think the answer was 'no,' but the day's events gave her pause. Based on her calculations, she should distance herself from the girl, no matter what kind of sad face Ty Lee would make.

But Ty Lee gave her the one thing that she had craved since childhood. Ty Lee gave her complete and unconditional approval, acceptance, and love, no matter what Azula did. If she was very honest with herself, which she rarely was, that was something that she had always wanted from both her parents, and had never gotten. It plagued her still, as much as she tried to deny it or ignore it. Ty Lee was the only person to ever give her that, and she was not sure she could let go of it now that she had it.

Sometimes she wished she did not feel so conflicted inside. The two sides of her blood. Her Uncle had tried to get her to see that she could be 'good' just like Zuzu. She had the blood of the Avatar in her as well as the blood of Sozin. She could choose her own path, he said. She did not have to follow in her father's footsteps. But really, what else was she cut out for? What else could a monster like her do but hurt and conquer and destroy? It was what she was best at. It was what gave her thrills. She was not soft like Zuko. She did not have that caring side that did not want to hurt people. Azula did not care who she destroyed to get what she wanted as long as it was as efficient as possible. Had it not been her idea to send the army and burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground? It was wasteful, but it would have been the only way to quell the rebellions.

She was just as destructive as the fire that burned in her veins.

Would she burn Ty Lee if the acrobat got in her way? She thought about the question as she walked, and the answer did not sit well with her.

No. She would not.

Of that, she was certain. She could not knowingly and willingly toss Ty Lee aside, kill her, or let her be harmed. And that made Azula angry again.

She was still scowling when she entered the Jasmine Dragon, two hours later than she should have. Iroh glanced at her as she walked into the back of the shop.

"I was beginning to worry, Azula," he said, following her. "Did you get sidetracked." If she had been anyone else, if her control had been any less, if she had not been the cold hearted person she was, Azula would have been incredibly tempted to blast his face off. Side tracked? Had she been side tracked? As if he did not know exactly how her day had gone.

"No. I was just enjoying a few hours away from your irritating voice," she said, not grinding her teeth as much as she wanted. "Is that a crime now?"

"Hardly. I'm glad you got to enjoy the fresh air!" He smiled easily at her, and she wanted to knock his teeth down his throat. Of course, none of that showed on her face. "I'm glad you're back, though. I need to ask you about some of the finances. There seems to be a discrepancy in some of the earnings. I think you may have miscalculated."

Miscalculated.

You miscalculated.

_No, YOU miscalculated! _

Azula shuddered, willing the memories to go away. They usually left her alone until bed, but certain words, certain triggering words could threaten to set her off. She took a deep breath. In and out. Iroh was waiting for her answer, but all she could think of were two tiny fists in her back, paralyzing her and humiliating her. Betrayal.

Ty Lee's betrayal.

"Azula?"

"What? Yes, I'm fine." She shook herself and lifted on elegant eyebrow. "The finances?"

"Ah, yes." Iroh studied her carefully before handing her a few pieces of paper. "The written earnings don't fit with what we actually have. We're missing about one percent of the profits." Azula frowned.

"It looks as if someone is skimming off the top," she mused. She ran through the list of employees in her mind, and decided on two possibilities. "Kimi and Xen are your two most likely suspects. Neither of them are very trustworthy. I would lean towards Kimi. Xen has a… healthy fear of punishment." Meaning that Azula had threatened him enough that he no longer acted out. "Kimi doesn't ever think there will be consequences to her actions. She's the one."

"Very astute, Azula." Iroh seemed impressed and pleased, as though he had already come to the same conclusion and had just been testing her. Twice that day he had been a step ahead of her. She would have to be more careful. "I'll talk to Kimi."

"If you confront her directly, she'll just lie," Azula said. "You have to make her admit to it without her knowing what you're doing. You can do that, right?" She raised her brow in challenge.

"I think you may be giving an old man more credit than he deserves."

"Oh, I don't think so, Uncle. I know you have it in you." They held each other's eyes for a moment.

"I always feel that it is better to be honest. I'll ask her, and if she denies it, we can just keep a closer eye on her." He gave Azula a parting smile before leaving her in the back alone. She frowned as she watched him confront Kimi, pondering their little exchange. So, they were both aware of the game they were playing. Well, that would make things more interesting. As if she had not been handicapped enough already by her weakness in Ty Lee. A weakness Iroh seemed to have no qualms about exploiting. Azula would just have to find out what her dear uncle's weakness was. It should not be too hard. Finding weaknesses was one of the things she did best. Just look at how well she had manipulated Zuko. It had been so easy, too. Iroh would probably be more of a challenge, though. When she thought about it, she realized that he had a much stronger will than Zuzu. He would be harder to break.

But Azula did so love breaking things that resisted her.

With her resolve back in place, Azula decided that she would worry about the Ty Lee problem later. Tonight, she was going to the circus, and she would enjoy herself, and she would watch Iroh closely. She would find a way to exploit him. Everyone had a weakness. She had learned that lesson very well herself. Thinking that she had been invincible had been her downfall. She would not make that mistake again. It was very important to know her boundaries. Perhaps if she could not overcome her…..feelings for Ty Lee, she would just have to find a way to use them to her advantage. She could even use Ty Lee's love for her to manipulate the girl. Yes, that sounded good. Ty Lee was very talented, and a very useful tool. That was why Azula had picked her as part of her elite team in the first place. She had done it once, and she could do it again.

With a smile on her face, Azula turned back to face her customers, ready fake her way through another day, secretly plotting her escape.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **Sorry this took so long to get up! Sometimes that happens. I'll get really into a story and upload almost every day and then the muse just hits a wall, and wants to work on other things. But I promise to always finish what I start, so if you stick with me, I promise not to leave you hanging.

* * *

Up, down, and around. Swing her legs under her, let them curve over her back to rest on her head. Repeat.

Ty Lee did the exercise twice more before letting herself rest. She only had three more weeks before the circus would move on without her, maybe even less. She knew the ring master was ready to get going. He never stayed in one place for very long, even one as big as Ba Sing Se. When they left, Ty Lee would have to figure out a new way to provide for herself. She didn't know what to do, but she hoped that Azula and Iroh would help her. Maybe she could work at the tea house! That was an idea. If she did that, then she could be close to Azula all the time.

Azula, who would be there in the audience tonight. Again. For the fifth time. It made Ty Lee wonder if perhaps the former princess might return some of her feelings after all. Azula insisted that she did not, that she just enjoyed kissing and if she was going to do that, it might as well be with Ty Lee. The acrobat accepted that, even though it hurt. She did know that it was probably unrealistic for her to hope that Azula would ever be able to love her in return. The fire bender did not have the proper childhood to be able to love like Ty Lee did. She did not have the foundation. Love had been denied her for her entire life. That hurt Ty Lee more than anything. Maybe if someone had given Azula love, she would not have turned into such a cold person. Maybe she would not have lost her mind.

Ty Lee was determined to keep that from happening again. She knew that Azula still had the nightmares, and that sometimes she had trouble separating reality from her memories and hallucinations. From what the acrobat could tell, Azula usually saw her mother, even had full conversations with her. She had stayed over in the guest room enough times now that she had heard several of these conversations. They were disturbing, but Azula never gave any hint to them in the morning. A few times, Ty Lee had held Azula while she shivered and cried, unaware of who she was or where she was. Ty Lee always wondered how often that happened, and if Iroh was aware. Azula was good at hiding it. She had to be to have tricked Zuko into thinking that she was well enough to be let out.

Ty Lee felt so lost and unable to help. Azula needed healers. She needed people who were smart enough to do this. Ty Lee didn't have the knowledge to help the former princess. Sometimes she just felt so stupid and useless.

But she knew that they would figure it out. Azula was brilliant like that. She could do anything.

Ty Lee stood and stretched, bouncing on the balls of her feet, keeping her muscles limber as she got dressed, fastening the ties of her costume. She turned to look at herself from the side in the mirror. What she saw pleased her, and she hoped it would please Azula as well. She knew the fire bender looked at her when she thought that Ty Lee couldn't see. It made her feel a little giddy. If Azula couldn't love her, then maybe it would be enough that she liked Ty Lee. She thought she could live with that.

"Ty Lee, you're on," one of the ostrich horse handlers called to her as he passed her tent.

"Thanks!" She placed her mask on her face and dashed out to join the rest of her troupe. Because she was so talented, she was given her own dressing area and her own solo performance in the act. She joined her fellow acrobats and tried to peek through the tent flaps to see if she could spot Azula. Of course, it was much too dark in the stands to see the other girl, but Ty Lee knew that Azula and Iroh always sat in the same spot, so she trained her eyes to that area as she flipped into the ring, flashing a huge smile.

She performed her routine flawlessly as always. Tumbling and gymnastics had always come so easily to her. She remembered a time when Azula had tried to do a better cartwheel, and upon failing, had pushed Ty Lee down. Though some people would think her crazy for it, Ty Lee looked back on that memory with fondness. Later that day, Azula had given her permission to sleep with her. Normally when they stayed over at the palace, Ty Lee and Mai would share a room away from Azula, but that night, Ty Lee had snuggled close to her favorite person while the other girl rolled her eyes and threatened Ty Lee not to snore.

During one of her last flips, she knew for certain that she had seen Azula, watching her intently. Though her face was impassive, Ty Lee could see that her amber eyes were just a little wider than normal. It made her smile, especially when she landed perfectly. She took her bow, facing directly at Azula, with a wink and a wave. If she was lucky, the former princess would come visit her after the show. It was a shame that Iroh would be there, too. That meant no kisses. But it was still better than waiting until the next day to see her.

Azula did not yet want her uncle to know about their…well whatever it was. She would not tell Ty Lee why, only that she had her reasons. Ty Lee was unsure what those reasons could be because she knew that Azula did not care what others thought about her. Well, everyone besides her father, and he wasn't a factor anymore. He would never see the outside of a prison cell again. Ty Lee was glad for that. She was not the kind of person to hold a grudge, but she disliked the former Fire Lord intensely for what he had turned Azula into. It was his fault that Ursa had been forced to leave her children, and it was his fault that Azula never had a chance at a normal childhood. Or as normal a childhood as a noble could have. Azula should never even have been princess in the first place. It just made Ty Lee so mad she could scream.

She was still thinking about it while she scrubbed off her makeup, and she almost missed the polite cough that signaled that she had visitors. Smiling broadly, she turned to see Iroh standing in the entrance with a thoroughly disinterested Azula behind him. She was busy examining her nails, but Ty Lee could read her well enough to see the eagerness in her stance. No one else would have been able to tell that Azula was not simply waiting for her uncle to get finished talking.

"Wonderful performance as usual, Ty Lee," Iroh praised, letting her give him a quick hug.

"Thank you! I'm so glad you guys came! It always makes it more fun to know I have friends watching." She deliberately looked past him to try and catch Azula's eyes. She was not disappointed. "Did you have fun, Azula?"

"I've seen you do those moves a hundred times," Azula drawled. "This was no different."

"But didn't you see? We used the platypus bear this time! Wasn't he so cute?" Ty Lee would not let Azula's prickly words discourage her. She knew that Azula just said them to make herself seem stronger, which Ty Lee thought was silly. Azula was already the strongest person she knew.

"I was mildly impressed that he did not fall," Azula said, leaning against one of the poles that supported the tent. Ty Lee noticed with some satisfaction that she had noticeably put on some weight. That was good. She had been far too thin. Ty Lee knew that Azula was working hard every morning, waking up early and putting herself through her exercise routines. It was starting to show, which Ty Lee appreciated both because it meant that Azula was getting healthier, but also because it made her figure more attractive. Not that she had been unattractive before. Far from it. But now she was getting closer to a healthy weight, and it gave her subtle curves. Azula was never going to be as curvy as Ty Lee, but she still had a wonderfully feminine form.

"Of course he wouldn't fall! I trained him!" Ty Lee smiled broadly at Azula, who may have returned it with a hint of her own smile.

"Well, if anyone could train a dumb animal to walk on a tightrope I guess it would be you." She glanced at her uncle. "So is there anything else, or can we go now?" Ty Lee tried not to be disappointed that Azula wanted to leave so soon, but she knew she should have expected it.

"Are you sure, Azula?" Iroh seemed confused by her desire to leave. "You always complain about being cooped up at home or in the tea house. I thought we came to the circus so much so that you wouldn't 'go out of your mind with boredom' as you put it."

"Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't." She inclined her head to Ty Lee before pushing past the flap of the tent and leaving.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Ty Lee," Iroh said pleasantly before following his niece. Ty Lee gave him a wave before turning back to her mirror to take off her make up. A few seconds later, Azula's voice drifted back to her.

"I forgot, I need to ask Ty Lee something. Just wait here."

Ty Lee looked up to see Azula ducking under the tent flap again.

"Azula?"

The former princess smirked, and sauntered over to the acrobat to place a hand at the back of Ty Lee's neck and tip the shorter girl's head forward, kissing her soundly. Ty Lee felt her body melt as she put her arms around Azula's neck. The kiss did not last nearly as long as she would have liked, but she knew that Iroh was waiting for Azula.

"Couldn't leave without doing that," Azula said before giving Ty Lee a little shrug and then departing without another word. Ty Lee placed her fingers gently on her lips, as if she would be able to contain the feeling just a little bit longer. Then she smiled like a fool and returned to cleaning off her make up. Azula may not have been very good at expressing her feelings, if she even had any towards the acrobat, but she did manage somehow to make Ty Lee feel special.

She would have to be special, wouldn't she, to have attracted the attention of the former princess? It was something Ty Lee pondered. Why had Azula accepted her affections and love? It was clear to Ty Lee that Azula did not feel as strongly, and though that did hurt a little bit, she couldn't help but feel like she was making some sort of progress. She had noticed that Azula didn't call her an idiot anymore, and that her looks of exasperation also held a considerable amount of affection.

These small things were what gave her the courage visit Azula at the tea house, to steal kisses from her when Iroh wasn't looking, to not take it personally when Azula was cold towards her. She knew it was just how Azula was. It had always been that way, though there had been times, especially when it was just the two of them, or the two of them and Mai, were Azula had softened her expression when looking at her. Ty Lee had always wondered about that, and she supposed that in light of Azula's acceptance of her affections, the former princess might have always harbored some sort of feelings for her. Maybe.

Ty Lee did not let her hopes get too high, though. She knew that no matter how devoted she was to Azula, the firebender could still turn against her, throw her away like she was nothing. She thought back to that horrible day at the Boiling Rock, and sometimes she wondered what would have happened to her if Azula had won her Agni Kai, if her father had not been defeated by the Avatar. Would Ty Lee still be rotting away? She was glad it wasn't something that she had to find out. Instead, she got to be here in Ba Sing Se with Azula, helping her firebender through her tough times, just like she always had.

When she went to Jasmine Dragon the next day, Azula was not there. Iroh explained to her that he had sent Azula on an errand, with supervision of course. Ty Lee was a little concerned. This supervision was an earthbender that Iroh knew, but the acrobat thought that if Azula really wanted to, it would have been easy for her to escape.

"But what if she doesn't come back?" she asked as they sat down over a cup of tea.

"She will," Iroh said with confidence.

"How do you know? I mean, she hates it here, and even I know that she's just waiting for a chance to bolt." Ty Lee did know that much. She could see it in the way that Azula studied the streets of Ba Sing Se, in the way she committed each detail to memory. In the way she sometimes stared longingly into the west when she thought no one was watching.

"Because you're here," Iroh informed her. "I don't think my niece would go anywhere without you." Ty Lee gaped at him. That couldn't be true. Sure, Azula may have liked Ty Lee a bit better than she liked everyone else, but the acrobat didn't think that Azula would let that keep her from her long desired freedom.

"Oh, I…. I don't think…. I think she would." Ty Lee bit her lip and looked down at her lap.

"You underestimate how important you are to her," Iroh said calmly. "She needs you, and she knows it. And don't think that I don't realize how much trouble she has at night. Why do you think I insist that you stay over so much?"

Ty Lee started in surprise. She had thought for sure that if Iroh knew about Azula's little lapses, he would have sent her back to the Fire Nation. "Please, please don't send her back!" Ty Lee begged. "She can't take it. She's getting better here, I just know it. Please don't make her go back to that place. I don't think she'd ever get over it!" Her heart hammered in her chest, scared for both Azula and herself. She knew the former princess would not be able to hold onto her sanity if she were forced to go back to the mental facility. She might even attempt to kill herself again. As for Ty Lee, the thought of being separated from Azula was almost unbearable. It made her heart clench painfully and her throat tighten.

"Child, I'm not going to send her back," Iroh assured her. "I know that as good of intentions as my nephew has, he doesn't know what Azula needs to get better. Of course, it's not unreasonable. She's still very dangerous and needs supervision."

"But she can't even bend anymore," Ty Lee protested.

"She can bend, she's just not allowed to," Iroh clarified. "There's nothing stopping her except the threat of being sent back. Though I don't know how much her skills have suffered. There was a time when I would have said that she was on her way to being the greatest firebender to ever live, even surpassing myself and her father. I've never seen a child with so much raw ability."

"She really was incredible," Ty Lee said softly, thinking back to all the times she had watched Azula fight, and how beautiful and frightening she had been. "Do you think she'll be able to be that good again?"

"If she does what her brother tells her, I think he'll let her train again," Iroh said. Ty Lee appreciated that he was not talking in riddles for once. They usually just confused her. Again, she wished she was smarter. Maybe Azula would love her if she was smarter. She was always wishing she was smarter when it came to Azula. Perhaps that would fix all her problems.

"Maybe she will," Ty Lee said, though she didn't think that was very likely. She knew that Azula was planning something, trying to figure a way out of the situation. She sipped her tea as the customers thinned out. It was getting later in the day, and she had a performance that night. Really, she should have left already, but she didn't want to go without seeing Azula first.

"Ty Lee, may I ask you something that might be a little personal?"

"Oh, uh…sure!" She flashed a smile at the older man, unsure what it could be that he wanted to know.

"What exactly are your feelings towards my niece?"

"I..uh…I mean…we're friends. She's my best friend." Ty Lee knew that the lie sounded high and false. She could see on Iroh's face that he was not satisfied.

"Are you sure there isn't more to it?" He asked it casually enough, but Ty Lee began to panic. She knew that she couldn't lie to him. She had never been as good at it as Azula.

"More?" she squeaked. Azula didn't want her uncle to know about them yet, so Ty Lee would do her best to cover. "W-what else would there be?"

"I may be old, Ty Lee, but I'm not blind." Iroh raised a brow at her, and suddenly, she could see the family resemblance. "I see the way you look at her. I'm just concerned. Azula is not someone you want to be invested in like that."

"I-I-I don't know what you mean."

"It's very obvious that you care about Azula quite a bit."

"Like I said, she's my best friend." Ty Lee searched for a way to get out of this, but she could see none.

"Just don't let her use you," Iroh warned. "She will if she thinks she can."

"I know that." Ty Lee looked down at her tea. "I'm not that stupid."

"I don't think you're stupid at all, child. Just a little too trusting of her." He casually stirred his tea. "I just wouldn't want a nice young lady like you to go ruining her reputation for someone who won't care if you get hurt."

"My reputation?"

"Sooner or later, word will get back to the Fire Nation. Not everyone there is as understanding as I am. Our culture is not as accepting."

Ty Lee's cheeks burned. "You mean because we're both girls."

"Yes." He gave her a small smile. "It's okay if that's how you are, Ty Lee, but the Fire Nation is very old fashioned. You should just be aware of how hard it will be." Ty Lee knew that it was no use trying to pretend anymore, so she sighed and dropped her guard.

"I know. I had a cousin who was…like this." She shuddered as she remembered his fate. "His family sent him off to fight so that he wouldn't bring shame on them." She looked at Iroh, suddenly very worried. "Could something like that happen to me? Oh! Would Zuko send Azula back _there_ if he found out?" Ty Lee didn't want anything she did to jeopardize Azula's freedom.

"I don't think so, Ty Lee," Iroh said gently. "He's more concerned about her respecting the laws. I don't think he'll care that she doesn't want to marry and prefers the company of other young ladies. Actually," Iroh said, tilting his head to the side. "It's probably better for him this way. It makes her less of a rallying point if she never produces an heir." Ty Lee almost shuddered at the thought of Azula doing what was necessary to produce an heir. Her change in expression did not go unnoticed.

"Don't worry about that, Ty Lee," Iroh said, placing a hand over hers. "Azula told me she was never getting married."

"Oh. Okay." Ty Lee blushed, embarrassed that her feelings were so obvious. She had wanted to badly to keep this all a secret for Azula, to make the former princess proud of her.

"What are you two doing?" They both looked up to see Azula and Iroh's earthbending friend coming through the door. "Don't you have a performance tonight, Ty Lee?" There was something different about Azula. The way she carried herself had changed. It was no longer tense and coiled, ready to bolt at any moment, and there was a gleam in her eyes that told Ty Lee that she was up to something. However, the little acrobat didn't have time to ponder that because Azula was right. She had a performance and she was already late.

"Oh, yeah! I should probably go!" She hopped up. "Thanks for the tea!"

"Of course, Ty Lee," Iroh said with a smile. Azula looked between them suspiciously, but said nothing.

"Bye, Zula!" Ty Lee hugged the former princess, who rolled her eyes before patting her on the back in return. "I'll see you later."

"Goodbye, Ty Lee," the firebender said quietly as she watched the acrobat leave.

On her way home, Ty Lee thought over her conversation with Iroh. He seemed to think that Azula was attached to her in some way, that Azula needed her. That made warmth bubble inside Ty Lee, giving her a bounce to her step as she walked. However, she also remembered his warning. Ty Lee didn't really care what people in the Fire Nation thought of her. She had already run away from home, so it wasn't like she was trying to live up to her family's expectations. What she was more concerned about was whether or not Azula would leave Ty Lee once she was done with her. It was a possibility. If Azula got over her hallucinations, she would have no need for Ty Lee any longer. Was their relationship enough to keep the former princess from dumping Ty Lee and running at the first chance she got? Had she already found that chance? Ty Lee had spent enough time with Azula over the years to recognize when the princess hatched a plan. That was the look that had been in Azula's eyes. What Ty Lee did not know was what this meant for her.

These thoughts plagued her all through her performance, though she was sure it did not show on her face. She was much too trained for that. Her body went through the motions mechanically while her mind played over every aspect of her relationship with Azula. Was there more to it? Did the former princess have feelings for her? Or was Azula really just using Ty Lee to help her get well? Ty Lee did not like thinking about that. She just wanted to be with Azula always, in whatever capacity the other girl would let her.

She continued to think about these things well into the night, tossing and turning in her little hammock. Really, it shouldn't have bothered her so much. She always knew that she would stay with Azula unless Azula was the one to send her away. There was nothing more she could do about it. All she could do would be to stay at Azula's side and hope for the best. If Azula thought it best to let Ty Lee know about her plans, then she would tell Ty Lee. If not, then Ty Lee would just have to accept that Azula knew what she was doing. After all, Azula was the most perfect girl in the world.

She had finally drifted off into sleep when someone shook her awake.

"Wha? What time is it?" She asked groggily. There was no way she had been asleep long enough to now have to get up.

"Hush, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee's eyes widened instantly because the voice belonged to Azula. The former Princess was crouched next to Ty lee's hammock, her hand on the acrobat's arm.

"What are you doing here, Zula? You can't be out alone!" Ty lee sat up quickly, almost upsetting her hammock. "They'll send you back!"

"Only if they find out," Azula said easily. "Uncle's fast asleep. I slipped something into his evening tea. So you're the only one who knows, and you're not going to tell. Are you?"

"Of course not!"

"Good. Because I wouldn't want to leave without you."

"Leave?" Ty Lee furrowed her brows. Perhaps it was because she was not fully awake yet, and she had misunderstood, because certainly Azula had not said what Ty Lee thought she had.

"Yes, I'm leaving soon. Not tonight. Everything isn't in place yet. I still have things to arrange." Azula looked past Ty Lee, thinking hard about something, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. It was the kind of smile she used to have when one of her plans worked out, or before a fight she knew she would win. "In two days. Uncle is sending me out to get a package, and I know now that I can get away from that idiot he sent to guard me. He's planned it for during one of your performances, so you'll have to just skip that. Meet me at the lower tram station that afternoon. I will have tickets and fake passports for us."

"Azula, you can't!" Ty Lee was frightened of what would happen should they be caught. What if Azula had underestimated this earthbender who was guarding her?

"Can't? And why not?"

"You have to stay here and… and get better so that we can go back to the Fire Nation!"

Azula stared at her with something akin to disgust. "Do you think I ever intended to do as my brother wants? That I would stay in this awful place?"

"I…No. I guess not."

Azula stood, looking down at Ty Lee. "I knew there would not be another chance for me to tell you without Uncle being there. He's been so attentive lately. So I came tonight."

"Azula, I don't think this is a good idea," Ty Lee said, wringing her hands.

"No one asked you."

"Still, I just….." Ty Lee struggled to put her doubts and fears into words. "What if something happens…and we need….I don't know, Zula. This is really sudden."

"Don't you trust me?" There was no hurt in Azula's voice, just some contempt.

"Of course, I do! I just-"

"I can see you have some reservations. That's unfortunate because I don't have the time to let you get over them. Uncle will be awake soon. I'll be waiting for you the day after tomorrow. You have until the sun hits the horizon. If you're not there by then, I'll know what choice you made." Azula narrowed her eyes coldly. "You've always been most loyal to me. Don't make another mistake like you did at the Boiling Rock. I won't be so forgiving a second time." With that, she stormed out of the tent, leaving Ty Lee even more confused than she had been earlier, and she knew that sleep would not come to her.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: **You guys get a nice long chapter this time. also, this should probably get a trigger warning

* * *

As she watched the sun grow closer and closer to the horizon, Azula grew more and more anxious. Ty Lee still had not showed up, which was completely and absolutely unexpected. The former princess had been sure that the acrobat would not let her leave without her. Ty Lee was dedicated. It made no sense at all.

Unless…..Perhaps she had…_miscalculated. _Perhaps Ty Lee was not as dedicated as she had thought.

Azula's hands tightened around the tickets. All that work for nothing. It had been so ridiculously easy to lose Uncle's earthbender in the Middle Ring markets. She had tested her theory earlier in the week, giving him the slip several times on their trip to the market, always returning before he even realized she was gone. It did give her pause, though. Surely Iroh did not think such a guard would ever be able to stop her. She may have hated the old man, but even she knew that he was far from stupid. Of course, he still only sent her out when Ty Lee was unavailable. So far, it had been enough to keep Azula from running.

She regretted that now as she stood alone at the station, watching the sun begin to dip below the horizon line, signaling the end of Ty Lee's grace period. It was time to go. What a fool she had been, letting herself care about Ty Lee and Ty Lee's feelings. She could have been long gone by now. It had been so easy to find the people she needed to get fake papers. Azula could always tell them from the upstanding citizens. She was, after all, a people person. She had taken some money from the Jasmine Dragon, planning on passing the blame off on one of the workers if Iroh asked about it, and secured herself two fake passports and two tickets out of Ba Sing Se. News had travelled the week before that the mad old king of Omashu had finally kicked it, and there was some confusion about heirs. The political climate was unstable, and it seemed like the perfect place for Azula to start gathering supporters.

But she wanted Ty Lee by her side. The girl had been so very valuable to her before. Azula did not want to try and take over anything without her. Because Ty Lee was an asset. That was all. Nothing more. She certainly did not have….feelings for the acrobat. That would be ridiculous. She just enjoyed it when they kissed. Nothing odd there. She was allowed to like that. Even the greatest rulers had enjoyed that. She knew that her father and grandfather had both had several mistresses. When she was Fire Lord she could have as many mistresses as she liked.

A nagging thought said that she would only like one mistress.

Azula turned abruptly away from the sun, intending to board the tram now, without Ty Lee. Just to prove to herself that she could. Because she was Azula, daughter of Ozai, granddaughter of Azulon. She had the blood of Sozin in her veins, and she could do anything. She did not need a half-witted circus freak to be happy. Not in the slightest.

As she trudged up to the platform, proud that her will power did not waver, the ground shook, hard enough to send most people to their knees. Azula, with her years of training, was able to keep her balance, but only just. She turned her head sharply to see a huge dust cloud rising up from the lower wall, stones flying in all directions. She could hear faint screams and see flames rising in the dust.

"Ty Lee."

And she took off without another thought.

Fear. Fear like she had never felt before. Azula had thought she knew that emotion, had thought that she had felt it after her failed Agni Kai and during her years of incarceration and insanity. But it was nothing to what she felt as she ran towards the explosion. All she could keep thinking was that she had to get to Ty Lee. The explosion was so near where the circus was set up, so near to where Ty Lee would be, and that fueled her frantic flight. Her feet pounded against the packed earth of the street as she ran, taking her back to another time.

_One two one two one two. Her boots slapped against the ground as she fled from the Avatar and his two hopeless minions. Well, only one was hopeless, she mused. The bind girl was actually quite something. Her skills were enough to impress even the princess of the Fire Nation. And all when Azula was without her bending, too. That was regretful. She would have liked to see how their skills matched up. As it were, her only concern was to delay the Avatar long enough for the eclipse to pass. _

Azula shook her head, clearing the memories. She could not afford to be distracted now. It was hard enough pushing past the fleeing masses with her head entirely clear. She was one of the few running towards the explosion, fighting her way through the panicking throngs. It took all of her will power to keep from fire bending to break through the crowd. That would not help her in the long run.

"Ty Lee!" she shouted as she ran into the dense cloud of dust. It was unlikely that the other girl would answer, but Azula kept calling out her name. For the first and only time in her life, she wished she was an earthbender and was able to whisk away the dust that obscured her vision. "Ty Lee!" She grunted as several people knocked into her, sending her stumbling back. Her balance should have been better than this. The permanent damage that prison had done to her body was enough that her muscles might never be as strong as they were before, and this situation proved it.

"How pathetic," a voice next to her drawled. She closed her eyes briefly, willing the image away, but when she opened them again, her grandfather was still standing there. "Risking your life for that girl. How you have fallen, Azula."

"Shut up old man. No one cares about your opinion." The people around her were too involved in fleeing to pay attention to her conversation with someone only she could see.

"I think it's good that you've found love." Great. Now her mother was there, too.

"I don't love Ty Lee," Azula growled, pushing her way back into the throng.

"Could have fooled me," Azulon said, coming to walk beside her. His insubstantial form passed through the oblivious citizens of the Earth Kingdom. "What other reason could you have for running off like a fool instead of taking your one chance to escape? You could have gotten far in all this chaos."

"She's a useful tool," Azula said, the lie tasting false on her tongue. "Nothing more."

"Don't lie to your mother, young lady," Ursa warned, taking up on Azula's other side. The two apparitions flanked her as she struggled up the street. "It's okay to love someone. It doesn't make you weaker."

"Tell that to Zuzu," Azula snapped. "Just go away. I have things to do." Of course, neither of them disappeared. Azula steeled herself, ignoring them. She could feel the fires now, burning just outside her vision, flickering orange and red through the hanging dust. Not taking the time to think about it, Azula swept her hands to the side, clearing a path through the fire. It took three tries for it to respond how she wanted. Her skills had definitely suffered over the years of disuse. But when she was able to sweep the flames aside, her body filled with the incredible rush that she had missed so much. For a moment, just a short moment, she closed her eyes and relished the feeling of firebending again. It had been so long, and it felt so _good_. But she could not take the time to truly celebrate, because she could see the circus tents rising in front of her, several already on fire.

With a strength that she did not know she possessed, she shoved her way past the screaming pedestrians, searching for Ty Lee's tent.

"What are you doing, Miss?" one of the handlers asked frantically as he tried to lead two ostrich horses to safety. The animals fought him in their panic, trying to return to their burning home. "You have to get out of here!"

"Where's Ty Lee!" she demanded.

"I don't know. We were getting ready for a show. I haven't seen her all day! You have to go!"

Azula ignored him and kept searching. Fire did not scare her. She was fire. She was the master of the flame, and nothing could keep her from Ty Lee. Soon, she found the acrobat's tent, recognizing it from the numerous times she had stopped there after a performance, but Ty Lee was nowhere to be found. Azula ground her teeth in frustration, resisting the urge to let go and curse the heavens. She did not have time to fall apart now. Her demons would not keep her from saving Ty Lee.

"Have you tried the main tent?" Ursa said from her left, concerned. "She could have been there getting ready to go on."

"This is idiocy," Azulon chimed in. "You were once the most promising of Ozai's children. Such a waste."

"Both of you just shut the hell up! I can't think with you in my head!" she yelled. "I swear by Agni, I will make you suffer if she gets hurt because you would not leave me in peace!" Azulon had a knowing smirk on his face at her words, and Ursa's brows tipped up in empathy at Azula's pain.

"Azula?"

She whipped around to see the girl in question standing behind her. Ty Lee was looking at her with concern, obviously having heard the outburst. Azula would deal with that later. Right now, she had bigger things to worry about.

"Ty Lee. We need to go now."

"What are you doing here?"

"That doesn't matter," she said quickly. "The fire's spreading and we have to go." She noticed then that Ty Lee had a pack hitched over her shoulder. Instead of commenting, she grabbed Ty Lee's arm and dragged the girl after her. She could just see Ursa and Azulon on the edge of her vision, but she ignored them. It was imperative that she get Ty Lee to safety. The other girl did not have the protection from fire that Azula did. To her credit, Ty Lee followed obediently, letting Azula direct her through the flames and then into the mass of people trying to flee. Soon, they were far enough away that the smoke was no longer threatening to choke them, and Azula could see much better. The crowd was beginning to thin as people split up and went to their homes.

"What happened, Ty Lee?" she asked as they walked.

"I don't know. I was getting ready to meet you at the tram, and I was late because the ring master wanted to say 'goodbye' and he got sidetracked because one of the platypus bears is sick. Oh, I hope he got out okay! He's just the cutest thing you've ever-"

"Ty Lee! Focus!"

"Oh, right!" Ty Lee gave her an apologetic smile which made Azula's stomach twist so very pleasantly despite their situation. "Just as I was about to leave, the ground started shaking, and then the wall exploded. I have no idea what happened because then everyone was running and screaming. And then I saw you. I was so worried you had left without me because I was late."

"I almost did," Azula revealed. "My curiosity got the better of me, however. I doubt they would have let the tram run after an explosion like that anyway."

"You came back for me?" There was such awe in Ty Lee's voice that the lie died on Azula's tongue.

"Yes. I was…concerned."

Ty Lee bit her lip before throwing her arms around Azula. "I love you, Zula. I'm so glad you didn't leave me here."

"Yes, well…. It gave me an excuse to firebend," Azula said, deflecting the conversation away from uncomfortable topics.

"Azula! You're not allowed to!"

"No one saw. And I can do it in self-defense." She started steering them back towards the upper ring. With her plan to leave ruined, she figured she might as well go back to Iroh's. This threw a kink in everything, though. No doubt his earthbender had already informed him of Azula's escape. He would be extra watchful from now on, and she would have to be extra sneaky. It irked her to have such a perfect opportunity ruined. All because of her concern over Ty Lee. Azulon was right. How pathetic.

"Incredibly pathetic," Azulon's voice drifted back to her. She ignored it, focusing instead on trying to find her way back to the Upper Ring through the crazy maze of Ba Sing Se. Somewhere along the way, they had deviated from the path Azula had taken earlier. She was not as familiar with this part of the city, and she was beginning to worry that they had become lost. They were out of the way now, separated from the crowd down an alley and out of sight. Azula thought she had known a short cut, but she was not so sure now.

"Hey," a voice called from behind her, interrupting her thoughts. Azula did not turn around. "I know you. You're that Fire Nation Princess." Ty Lee stiffened next to her, and Azula slowly turned to face the man speaking to her.

"You must be mistaken."

"No, I know who you are." Before she could react, the ground under her and Ty Lee shifted so that their feet were encased in earth. "I was working in the Dai Li when you and that one there took over," he said, pointing at Ty Lee. The little acrobat put on her best glare for the earthbender. For her part, Azula let nothing show on her face. She recognized the man now, and realized her situation was not good. He had been one of the few who opposed her take over from Long Feng. Very skilled.

"What do you want?" Azula demanded, raising a brow. "You should know that I have no title, no money, nothing to offer you, and I can assure you that the Fire Lord will not be open to blackmail and intimidation."

"The only thing I want from you, Fire Nation bitch, is for you to suffer," the man snarled, spreading his legs in the traditional earthbending stance. Azula pulled on her own legs, but they were stuck completely by their earthen shackles. So she did the only thing she could think of.

Azula dropped into as close to a firebending stance as she could manage with her feet bound, and thrust her arm forward, calling on her fire. Her first attempt sputtered out pitifully, the flames orange instead of her usual blue, and Azula's careful mask slipped, appalled at her own failure. The earthbender blinked and then let out a bellowing laugh.

"All along, you were no good at it anyway! What was I ever scared of?"

Azula growled and tried again, this time putting more power and determination behind it. The flames that shot from her open palm where still not up to her standards, but they were enough to make the smirk drop from the earthbender's face as he sidestepped out of the way. On her third attempt, Azula was finally able to conjure up a burst of flame that did not disappoint her, a smile growing on her face as she brought her hand around to point at him. The earthbender snarled and stomped the ground, sending Azula and Ty Lee toppling over. The former princess knew what he was trying to do and only let one of her hands touch the ground. True to her prediction, it was immediately encased in earth, while both of Ty Lee's hands were trapped.

Leaning up as far as she could, Azula shot a blast of fire at the man, knocking him back.

"Ty Lee, are you okay?"

"I'm alright."

Azula brought her hand over while he was down and blasted the earth keeping her left hand bound, breaking it into pieces under her fire. She pushed herself up and repeated the process with her feet. She would have to worry about Ty Lee later because the earthbender had regained his feet, and Azula sent another blast his way, this time knowing that it had burned him from his scream of pain. While he writhed, several other earthbenders gathered around.

"Hey! Watch it, Fire Nation!" Azula barely had time to turn to meet the fist sized rock that hurtled towards her head. She pulled her hand up to knock it to the side, grimacing as the impact stung. She counted no fewer than five earthbenders surrounding her and Ty Lee, who would be useless until Azula had the chance to free her. Dropping back into a well-known stance, Azula swept her leg around in a blazing kick, sending an arc of flames at three of her attackers. Two moved out of the way or raised an earthen wall for protection, but the third was not so lucky. Azula followed up with four blasts in quick succession, not giving them time to regroup.

While her attention was on those three, the other two circled around behind her, trying to flank the former princess. She could tell now that they were all former Dai Li. It was obvious from their technique and the way they worked together. Had this been a trap? An elaborate plan to trap her? The explosion to draw her in, the man stopping her, and now this attack. It all seemed like too much to be coincidence. Besides, Azula did not believe in coincidences. How had they known that she would come looking for Ty Lee? No one could have known that! No one was even supposed to know who she was. Sure, most of Iroh's customers probably had guessed, but they would not associate with filth like this. And they all liked Iroh too much to hurt his niece.

Azula did not let these thoughts distract her. She did not even let the fact that she could still see her mother at the edge of her vision distract her. Instead, she flattened herself against the ground as two pieces of rock flew right where her head had been. Knowing what was coming, she pushed herself back up before her hands could be trapped again, never letting her feet stay in one spot for too long.

"You're just as good as they said you were, Princess," one of the men sneered.

"I'm even better," Azula replied easily, closing her eyes and centering herself before calling on her lightning. It was dangerous, she knew, to try and bend lightning after so many years without practice, but she knew it would effectively scare the men. She had been able to bend it even in the depths of insanity, so why not now? Breathing deeply, she began the sweeping circles required for lightning bending, feeling it crackling around her fingers. As she opened her eyes, she directed the flow at the nearest man, catching him straight in the chest. She did not have to check to know he was dead. Somewhere behind her, Ty Lee gasped.

"You piece of scum!" The next man rushed her, and Azula did not hesitate to catch him with a blast of fire. He stumbled back, his tunic smoking. Azula followed through even as she was in the process of turning to face the next assailant. Though she seemed to have the upper hand for the moment, Azula knew that she was tiring quickly. She had been so diligent in her exercises, but none of them had prepared her for a real fight, or for the taxation of firebending. That kind of stamina would take much longer to build, and she knew that her body was never going to be where it was before. She would have to win this quickly, or not win at all.

Gathering her strength, she brought both hands around to knock the men in front of her off their feet with a powerful blast. They did not stir after they hit the ground. However, while she was distracted, one had made it behind her, slamming a column of earth into her back and sending her sprawling. She fell with a grunt, unable to help herself as she threw out her hands to break her fall. That was all it took for the earthbender to secure her hands and feet again before turning to Ty Lee.

"I remember you, little chi blocker. Not going to let you do that again." Azula watched, helpless, as he pulled out a knife and descended on Ty Lee. The other girl's eyes widened in fear and she struggled against her bonds.

"No, please!"

"You leave her out of this!" Azula snarled, fear creeping up her spine for the first time during the fight.

"Oh, so the princess has a soft spot for you." He grinned. "Well, maybe I shouldn't kill you right away, then. I'll have some fun first." Because of the chaos from the explosion, Azula knew no one would hear their screams, and no one would come to their rescue. All the man had to do anyway was explain who they were, and no Earth Kingdom citizen would take pity on them. Not on the former Princess who had disgraced their proud city. It was up to her.

The man held his knife up to Ty Lee's neck, causing her to whimper. "So pretty. I think you'll do quite nicely." He began to unbuckle his pants, and Ty Lee struggled harder.

"No!"

"I'll kill you if you lay a hand on her," Azula threatened, trying her hardest to blast her way out of her bonds. The air would not ignite, and she grew desperate because the man was now kneeling over Ty Lee. "I swear it! You will regret this!"

"I don't think so," he said, not turning around to look at her, too focused on his prize. There were a few tears falling from Ty Lee's eyes by now, and Azula could barely breathe with how much fear she was feeling. In that moment she knew how futile it had been to ignore her feelings, how much of a losing battle she had been fighting.

Because as she watched the earthbender hook his fingers under the waistband of Ty Lee's pants, preparing to violate her, Azula knew that she loved the acrobat. And the thought made her physically ill.

"Please. Please don't," Ty Lee whispered over and over again, pulling and straining against the earth that bound her. The man ignored her, and Azula continued to watch in horror, her chest tight and her wrists rubbed raw from how hard she was fighting to get loose.

"Shut up," he snapped, sending his hand across Ty Lee's face. The sharp crack that accompanied the slap hit Azula like a physical blow. Ty Lee's head snapped to the side, her eyes wide and glazed. "You'll learn to respect your betters. The Fire Nation needs to learn a lesson in humility." He was about to yank her pants down when Ty Lee managed to bring her knee up in between his legs, hard. The earthbender screeched in pain, doubled over. "You'll pay for that, you little wretch." When he had regained himself, the man rose up enough to kick Ty Lee hard in her side, making the acrobat's back arch away from the pain, her face contorted. He brought his foot back again and again, each blow hitting Azula in her stomach just as much as they were hitting Ty Lee.

"Stop it!" Ty Lee pleaded. "Please!"

"I'll stop when you've suffered as much as I have," he spat. Soon, it was clear that Ty Lee was not going to last much longer. Her protests had died down, and her eyes where closed in pain. This seemed to satisfy the earthbender, for he returned to his previous kneeling position. As he moved, Azula saw that he had torn Ty Lee's shirt, exposing her, and Azula felt rage like she had never felt before.

No one hurt her Ty Lee.

With a roar, she ignited both her hands, ignoring how the flames stung her skin, and pushed all her strength into the fire. The earth keeping her hostage cracked and shattered, freeing her hands. She wasted no time in turning the flames, which were finally blue with their intenstity, on the earthbender, being ever so careful of Ty Lee. He fell back, off of the acrobat, and still Azula did not let up. The only time she had created flames larger and more intense had been during the Agni Kai, with Sozin's comet augmenting her power. These flames were fueled only by her rage.

She did not know how long she kept up the flames, but when she was done, the earthbender was nothing but a blackened corpse. The other two who had not lost consciousness earlier, took one look at her and fled. Knowing that she needed to check on Ty Lee, Azula took her remaining strength and freed her feet. With that done, she carefully knelt by Ty Lee. The girl had lost consciousness, though she still breathed. Her ribs were black and blue, and Azula thought that a few of them were probably broken, too. If the earthbender responsible had not already died, Azula would have killed him again. With more delicacy than she had ever shown, Azula picked up the dead man's knife and chipped away at the stone trapping Ty Lee. There was no way she was going to risk burning the acrobat on top of all the abuse she had already suffered.

"It's okay, Ty," she said softly. "I'll take care of you." Once Ty Lee was free, Azula took off her outer wrapping to cover Ty Lee's exposed chest and gingerly tried to lift her, only to have her knees buckle under the weight. Taking a deep breath and resisting the urge to curse, Azula tried a different tactic. She pulled Ty Lee over her shoulder, knowing that it was not good for the fallen girl's ribs, but also knowing there was no other choice. She staggered under the weight, but was able to walk, hating that her body was so weak. When this was all over, she would have to step up her training regime. Nothing like this could ever happen again.

Struggling to stay upright, Azula slowly made her way back out to the main street. She still did not know where they were, and now she needed to find a healer, as well. Iroh would know one, maybe even a water bender.

"Miss! Are you alright?" A shop keeper approached her, eyes widening as she saw Ty Lee. "Oh, my. Here, come inside, so I can help your friend."

"We were mugged. I need to get back to the upper ring," Azula said, not liking the idea of trusting this woman with Ty Lee. "I have to get back to the Jasmine Dragon. Which way do I need to go?"

"Three blocks east and then take a left and it's a straight shot up to the Upper Ring," the woman said. "But you can't carry her that entire way! She needs help."

"We'll be fine," Azula snapped.

"Azula, darling, listen to the nice lady," Ursa said in her ear. Azula closed her eyes briefly.

"My Uncle will be able to find us a water bender," she said. "I need to get her there."

"Let my husband carry her if you insist. You're too thin for that." Before Azula could protest more, the woman had disappeared inside, only to return with a burly man who took Ty Lee from Azula, cradling her gently to his chest.

"Let's go," he said. Between the two of them, they were able to navigate their way back up to the Upper Ring, with Azula flashing her papers whenever anyone tried to stop them. Soon, she was back in familiar surroundings, only a few blocks from the Jasmine Dragon. It was dark, late enough in the day that Iroh might not even be there anymore, but Azula almost sighed in relief when she saw that the lights were still on.

The door opened before she could even knock, revealing Iroh and the earthbender who had been responsible for watching her.

"Azula? I had not expected to see you again," Iroh said.

"I had not planned on coming back." There was no reason to lie anymore. He would know that she had tried to escape. "But there are more important things right now." She motioned for the man carrying Ty Lee to bring her inside, setting her on one of the tables.

"What happened?" Iroh asked, immediately assessing Ty Lee's injuries.

"There was an explosion on the lower wall. I went to investigate, and we met up in the flames. As we fled, a man confronted us. He knew who I was, so there was, of course, an altercation." She attempted to appear unphased, but she was concerned that Ty Lee had still not awoken. "Soon, he was joined by five others. They all knew who I was. They were Dai Li. I had to use firebending, and I killed at least two of them." Iroh looked back at her sharply. "It was in self-defense."

"Two dead earthbenders at the hands of the former Fire Nation princess will be hard to justify," he said.

"One of them was going to rape Ty Lee," she snapped. "Don't you see what he did to her before I stopped him?" Her body shook with anger, and she clenched her fists tightly by her side. "I did what I had to."

Iroh's expression softened. "Then I will do what I can to protect you, Azula."

"Right now, what I need is a waterbender for her."

"I know one who lives not too far from here." Iroh turned to the Azula's guard, whose name was something stupid like Mo or Bo or Ko, she could not remember. "Get me Rakura. Tell her it's an emergency," Iroh instructed him. He left swiftly, taking a moment to send Azula a nasty glare.

"I need to get back before it gets too late," the man who had carried Ty Lee said.

"Of course. Thank you, sir." Iroh dug in his pocket for a few coins to give him. "For your troubles."

"It was no trouble," the man said, refusing to take the money. "I just hope she's okay." He nodded to Azula before leaving.

"What were you doing at the lower ring, Azula?" Iroh asked.

"You know very well what I was doing," she said, going to Ty Lee's other side, letting her finger tips trace the angry red marks left by the man's hand. "Don't pretend like you don't."

"Ah, then a better question would be, why didn't you leave?"

"Complications."

"Ty Lee?"

"She had not shown up when the explosion happened," Azula said softly. She no longer felt the need to lie to Iroh about this. He had already effectively used Ty Lee against her, and her actions that night would no doubt speak volumes for her feelings. "I went to make sure she was not dead."

"That girl loves you."

"I know."

"What are your feelings for her?"

Azula turned to glare at him. "Obviously, you've already figured that out."

"It will break her if you leave her."

"I have no intention of leaving her. If I was going to do that, I would be half way to Omashu by now."

"I suppose that's true." They stayed in silence until Mo returned with the waterbender.

"Oh, poor child," she breathed as she saw Ty Lee. "I'll see what I can do." Azula stepped back enough to make room, but she took Ty Lee's hand in her own, in an act of possession and comfort, letting Rakura work.

She swore that she would find out who had been responsible for this. And she would make sure they wished they were never born.

* * *

**AN: **The explosion thing will be explained fully later. it's not just a plot device.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **So I finally got around to getting this chapter done! yay! I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long. This chapter gave me a lot of trouble. _  
_

Thanks to Incidental Villainess for being my beta

* * *

_It's been hours. Shouldn't she be awake by now?_ That was Azula's voice, Ty Lee was certain.

_These things can take time._ This time a female voice she did not recognize. Both were fuzzy in her ears, as if coming from very far away, or spoken through glass. _She sustained some serious injuries. I can only do so much._

_Azula, you should go get some sleep._ Iroh now. _You've had a hard day. We can watch over Ty Lee._

_No. I'm not leaving her. _The words sent a pleasant flutter through Ty Lee's heart. She cracked open her eyes, taking in the ceiling of the Jasmine Dragon. She wondered how Azula had gotten her there. The firebender was much too frail still to have carried her the entire way. Azula may have put on muscle and weight, but she was far from healthy still, and the fight would have taken a lot out of her.

The fight.

Ty Lee shuddered as she remembered her last moments of consciousness. She could still see the man's face leaning over her, could still hear Azula's enraged shouts as she struggled to get free. After that, it was all a blank. With cold dread, she wondered what had happened. Had that earthbender….had he…..?

She chose not to think about it. Not yet, anyway. Her side ached fiercely, and she just wanted to go back to her nice tent and sleep. Then she remembered that she had planned on leaving with Azula before that explosion changed everything.

"Zula?" Ty Lee's voice came out weak and thin, but the firebender heard her and was at her side almost instantly.

"Just stay still, Ty Lee," she instructed, her voice not as gentle as the acrobat would have hoped, but still much warmer than it normally was. "You're still injured. This useless waterbender wasn't able to completely heal you. You have a few broken ribs and a lot of bruising. There were some…internal injuries, as well."

"Zula, did he….?" Ty Lee hesitated, not sure if she wanted the answer to her question. "Did he…."

"No." Ty Lee thought that something akin to nausea crossed over Azula's face for a brief moment, but it passed too quickly for her to be sure. "I was able to break free and stop him."

"You saved me."

"He should have known not to lay his filthy Earth Kingdom hands on a Fire Nation noble," Azula said.

"Ty Lee?" The other woman in the room, a middle aged waterbender, came forward. "My name's Rakura, and I'm a healer. Can you tell me if you're in any pain?"

"Yeah. My ribs are really sore, and my face hurts." The constant ache was hard to ignore.

"Your cheekbone was fractured slightly, but I've healed that," Rakura said. "There will be some tenderness for a few days. As for your ribs, I will see if I can do more now."

Ty Lee watched as she gathered the water from her pouch, bending it so that it pooled around her hands. Ty Lee did not know much about how waterbenders healed, but as Rakura's hands passed over her side, some of the tightness and pain was relieved. "Is that better?"

"Yes, much." Ty Lee flashed a smile to show her appreciation, and received a small one in return. Azula scowled at the exchange, which somehow only served to make Ty Lee feel even better. Then she saw that Azula's hands were bandaged.

"Zula! Your hands!"

"It's nothing. I'm fine." The former Princess crossed her arms, but Ty Lee saw that her jaw set just a little tighter as her injured hands brushed against her arms.

"She managed to give herself quite a few serious burns," Rakura informed Ty Lee, giving Azula an exasperated look.

Burned? Azula had never been burned. She was master of the flame, the best firebending prodigy to have ever existed.

"How?"

"It's not important," Azula said dismissively.

"I imagine she did it breaking free of that earthbender's bonds," Rakura continued. "But she won't tell us exactly."

"Because it's really none of your business," Azula said. "All you need to do is insure that Ty Lee is alright."

"Did you let her heal you, Azula?" Ty Lee knew that the firebender could be ridiculously stubborn when it came to her pride.

"Of course. My hands are beautiful. I would never let them scar." She tossed her head airily. "Not that this hack could completely fix the damage."

"They'll be fine with time, Azula," the waterbender said, the exasperation in her voice as well as her face now.

"Okay. Good." Ty Lee felt her eyes drooping. "I'm kind of tired."

"That's to be expected," Rakura said. "You're body has been through a lot, and even with my help, healing is taking a lot out of it. If you feel like going back to sleep, do so."

"Kay." She let her eyes flutter shut, drifting off again, Azula still standing next to her.

Arguing voices woke her some time later, and she blearily opened her eyes to see several official looking guards debating heatedly with Iroh and Azula. Rakura was standing next to the table where Ty Lee was, watching with a tightened jaw and a frown.

"Sir, I'm afraid that I have no choice," one of the guards said, holding a pair of handcuffs. "She's accused of murdering two Earth Kingdom citizens. The third probably won't make it."

"It was self-defense," Azula spat. "What was I supposed to do? Let them rape me and my friend? If you idiots could do your jobs right, I wouldn't have had to kill them."

"One of the corpses was burned beyond recognition. That sounds excessive for self-defense."

"Dead is dead," Azula sneered. "Does it matter how dead he is?"

"Azula, let me handle this," Iroh cut in with a warning look. "Officer, can't you see that my niece and her friend were both injured? That has to give credit to her story."

"We can't take any chances. Not with this one. We know all about her. I'm going to have to take her in."

"You can be assured the Fire Lord will be hearing about this," Iroh said, but Ty Lee wasn't looking at him. She was looking at Azula who was standing rigidly next to her uncle, her muscles tense and her eyes wide.

"In? You can't. You can't lock me up again. I just did what I had to!" She was starting to crack. The careful façade she wore was slipping in the face of returning to a cell. "I couldn't let them kill us. I couldn't let her die!" Ty Lee almost gasped at the admission. Ty Lee's death had actually frightened the firebender, so much so that Azula had admitted it in front of an audience.

"Until we can verify your story, you have to come with us."

"I won't. You'll have to force me." Azula dropped into a firebending stance, and Ty Lee could tell that this would end badly.

"Zula, no!"

The former Princess, turned her head to look at Ty Lee, but kept an eye on the guards.

"Don't do this, Azula," Ty Lee begged. "Please."

"They're going to take me back _there_."

Ty Lee groaned, pushing herself up on her elbows. "I know, but it's just for a little while. We didn't do anything wrong. It'll be okay. I promise." Azula looked like a caged animal, her eyes wide and crazed, but she kept them locked on Ty Lee now, as though clinging to her words.

"I can't, Ty. I can't….I'll lose it." It was as though there was no one else in the room. Just the two of them.

"I'll be there with you." It was a bold statement, but she would not let them take Azula alone. "If you take her, you're taking me, too."

"You're not being charged for anything, Miss," the head guard said. "Just the Princess."

"I was there, too!" Ty lee protested, not pointing out that Azula wasn't a princess anymore. "You can't prove that Azula was the one to kill them."

"They were burned to death, and we know you're not a bender."

"Well….I could have paralyzed them for her." Ty Lee did not know what to do, but she knew she had to do something. "You can't prove I didn't."

The guard sighed. "Fine. We'll take you both." He waved his hand dismissively, and his companions moved to cuff Ty Lee and Azula.

"Ty Lee, you're not healed yet," Rakura protested. "You need to stay here and rest."

"I'll be fine," Ty Lee said softly, allowing the guard to put on the metal cuffs. "Azula needs me."

Normally, the former Princess would have snapped back that she most certainly did not need Ty Lee, but instead, she was almost unrecognizable in her fear. She had herself placed behind Iroh, with her uncle between her and the guards, her body coiled and tense, ready to either fight or flee at a moment's notice. With some effort, Ty Lee hopped up from the table to stand next to Azula.

"Azula, please let the man put the handcuffs on you. I'll be with you the whole way. I'm not leaving you."

Azula nodded and held out her hands, her body relaxing ever so slightly.

The guard tentatively restrained her, obviously quite scared that she would attack at any moment.

"I demand to go with them," Iroh said. "I am responsible for Azula, so I will be there to defend her. She acted in self-defense, and we will prove this. I would ask that you see if Toph Bei Fong is available. She is accomplished at telling when someone is lying, and she has no love for my niece. You can be sure she will be an impartial judge."

"That's not my call," the guard replied. "I just follow orders. You can come down with us, but you'll have to ask my supervisor about Bei Fong."

Ty Lee relaxed at the mention of Toph. The earthbending master would know that they were telling the truth. Well, she would be able to tell that Ty Lee was telling the truth. Azula was a master liar, though Ty Lee didn't know if she could still fool Toph. She was not exactly stable at the moment.

"See? It's gonna be okay, Zula." Ty Lee followed behind the guard, her body still sore from her ordeal, and motioned for Azula to do the same. The former princess seemed to have regained herself again, and she took a deep breath as she and Ty Lee filed into the coach with the guards. Iroh promised to follow right behind them, and Ty Lee nodded while Azula stared resolutely out the window. She was trembling ever so slightly, not enough for anyone but Ty Lee to notice.

"Because of who you are and all the politics involved, we're taking you to the palace," the guard explained. Azula gave no indication that she had heard.

"Oh, okay," Ty Lee answered. "Can I ask that you keep us together. It's just that she might get….difficult if I'm not there." Ty Lee thought it very likely that Azula would try to kill her guards and escape if they were separated.

"We'll see." He eyed Azula, and Ty Lee knew that they would want to keep her as calm as possible. She also knew that if they knew who she was, then they would not make the mistake of underestimating her. They knew how smart she was, and no one but Ty Lee and Iroh knew how unstable she was at the moment, how unlikely she would be to actually come up with a viable plan. Azula had calmed herself somewhat, but Ty Lee could see that her eyes were still too wide, her breathing still too quick and shallow, and her body still too tense.

The ride to the palace was quiet from then on, with Azula sitting still and silent, and Ty Lee keeping a close eye on her. The former princess occasionally closed her eyes and pursed her lips, and Ty Lee wondered if she was seeing one of her apparitions. Was it her mother or her grandfather? Or both maybe? They would need Azula to be in her right mind to defend them since Ty Lee had been unconscious for some of the incident. If Azula broke down and lost it during their interrogation, then she had no hope. They would either ship her back to the Fire Nation where she would be sent right back to the loony bin, or they would imprison her in the Earth Kingdom.

Or worse.

They could execute her.

Ty Lee shuddered, pushing the thought from her mind. That would not happen. They had done nothing wrong. Well, Azula had been out without supervision, and she had been planning on fleeing, but those things seemed small in the face of the fact that several earthbenders had tried to kill them. Weren't they? Would whoever they had to answer to see it that way? She didn't know. Probably not. Even if she had not faced the same kind of charges as Azula after the war, Ty Lee was still somewhat responsible for a lot of atrocities against the Earth Kingdom.

"Alright, everyone out," the guard said, making Ty Lee realize that they had arrived. She awkwardly hopped out of the coach, hindered by her shackled hands. She looked behind her to keep as much eye contact with Azula as she could, but the firebender had her face set in indifferent stone. Azula, of course, was as graceful as ever as she got out. True to his word, Iroh pulled up right behind them, nodding reassuringly to Ty Lee. With him were the earthbender Mo and Rakura. All of them were marched inside, where Azula and Ty Lee were placed in a holding cell, still cuffed.

"Mo, you stay here with them while I go see if I can find out who's in charge," Iroh instructed. He and Rakura left, leaving Ty Lee and Azula with the Earth Kingdom guards and Mo. Azula sat cross-legged in the center of the cell, letting her hands rest in her lap and closing her eyes. She was, Ty Lee realized, meditating. Rather than disturb her, Ty Lee practiced what acrobatic moves she could with her hands bound, ignoring the way it made her ribs protest. She was sitting with her feet resting on her head when Iroh returned with a very official looking man. Azula cracked open an eye, and then stood.

"Azula, this is Captain Yang. He's in charge of your case."

"Well, I certainly hope he's competent."

"You're just as charming as everyone said," Yang drawled, looking completely unimpressed with the firebender. "I'm here to take your statements. We'll do this again in two days if Toph Bei Fong decides that you are worth her time. She's very busy in the colonies helping the Avatar and the Fire Lord establish the United Republic. If she can verify your story, then you'll be free to go."

"And if not?" Azula asked.

"Then there's not much hope of you leaving here." He raised a brow at her, his face clearly saying how he felt about the firebender. Ty Lee wondered if he had been personally affected by Azula's actions in the war. Probably.

"I'd ask that should I be found guilty, that my penalty would be death," Azula said, holding her head high, looking every bit as royal as her blood.

"Zula! No!"

"Hush, Ty Lee."

"You can't!"

"I told you to hush!" Azula glared at the acrobat, obviously furious at being interrupted and contradicted in front of everyone. "I will not be locked up again. If I am to face punishment for a crime of which I am innocent, then I would rather die than sit in a cell the rest of my life." Ty Lee was certain that she was the only to see the fear in Azula's eyes. She was so calm and collected now, so much like her old self, but the acrobat knew it was not the true Azula any longer.

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Yang said. "A lot of people wanted it to happen four years ago. I doubt there will be any protests."

"Good."

"Azula, are you sure that is what you want?" Iroh asked. "I'm sure your brother can get you some sort of-"

"I've made my decision," the former princess said, cutting off her uncle. "No need to bring Zuzu into it."

"If you insist."

Ty Lee would have preferred if Iroh tried harder to convince Azula to change her mind, but they both knew that the former princess would not fare well in prison. The end result would likely be the same, and Ty Lee shuddered at the thought.

"Now that that's settled, tell me, _Princess_ Azula, what were you doing in the Lower Ring to begin with?"

"I was in the Middle Ring with my escort, going to the market to retrieve some things for my uncle."

"Only the one guard?" Yang turned to look questioningly at Iroh.

"Azula has proven that she is not going to run off at a moment's notice," he lied easily. "She has had plenty of opportunities. Mo is an accomplished earthbender, and is capable enough to handle her."

"Alright, so you were in the Middle Ring. What happened next?"

"We were shopping when the explosion happened." Azula's lids were drooped, giving her an air of great boredom. "By the way, have you found who was responsible? Because I would think something of that magnitude would be a little more of a priority than one little firebender."

"We're still working on it, not that it's any of your concern." Yang looked a little miffed. "How did you get to the Lower Ring?"

"In all the confusion, I got separated from what's his face, and I knew that Ty Lee would be near the explosion." She lazily inspected her nails, her body relaxed to all but the trained eye. "I would have tried to find my chaperone first, but there was no time. I could tell there were a lot of fires, and Ty Lee is not a bender, so I was …..concerned for her safety. So I went to the Lower Ring. When I found her, we started making our way back to the Jasmine Dragon, but we were attacked. A man recognized me. He had been in the Dai Li, and had resented my take over. It seems he wanted to take his revenge. We were off the main path, and it seemed very much like a set up to me."

"You think that he planned this?"

"Perhaps so. It was quite the coincidence that so many former Dai Li agents were in one place, wasn't it?" She arched a brow at Yang. "There were six total."

"How could you know they were all Dai Li?"

"I am very familiar with how they fight," Azula reminded him. "It was quite obvious, really. I knew those moves."

"I know the reputation of the Dai Li," Yang said. "I've seen them fight. You can't expect me to believe that you fought them off."

Azula actually laughed, one that sent a chill down Ty Lee's spine. "I thought you knew who I am."

"I also know that you haven't firebended in years."

"I am the best there is, disregarding my ….esteemed uncle here. I was able to fend them off. Not without injury, though." Azula's casual façade dropped for a moment as she glanced at Ty Lee. "I used lighting to kill one man. It was the fastest way. Ty Lee was restrained. She was not ready for them like I was. I knocked several more unconscious, but the last one was able to catch me from behind, like a coward. He had us both pinned to the ground. As he was readying himself to rape Ty Lee, I was able to break free from my restraints. I sustained severe burns from doing so, in case you needed evidence." She stuck out her bandaged hands and jerked her head towards Rakura. "She can attest to our injuries."

Yang inclined his head to the waterbender.

"Ty Lee did come in with severe injuries," Rakura said. "Several broken ribs, facial fracture, and internal bleeding. And Azula's hands were also severely burned. The medical evidence supports her story."

"Very well. Continue."

"When I broke free, I turned my flames on the man. I did not stop until I was sure he was dead. I am not…." Azula gritted her teeth and looked over at Ty Lee again. "I am not as strong as I once was, so I did not want to risk him getting back up. Hence his unrecognizable state."

Ty Lee wanted to hug Azula, to comfort her for admitting something that she would never have admitted before. Her weakness. Perhaps no one else in the room knew what this meant for Azula, who had never been anything but perfect, but Ty Lee knew that had to have been one of the hardest things Azula had ever had to admit. From the way Iroh looked at her, Ty Lee could tell that he had some inkling of what Azula had just said, of what that meant, but he kept quiet.

"A shop keeper helped me carry Ty Lee back to the Jasmine Dragon," Azula continued. "My uncle called up this waterbender to heal her. And then your people showed up."

"Very well." Yang turned to look at Ty Lee. "Your turn. We would normally take your statements separately, but since General Iroh has such…sway, I have forgone that. So, tell me, what do you remember?"

"Um…well, it was right before a show, and I was…getting ready to perform." Ty Lee tried her best not to look at Azula and to keep her voice steady as she lied. Her heart sank as she realized that if Toph Bei Fong did come, she would easily be able to tell that Ty Lee was lying, and that she and Azula had been planning on leaving. She swallowed and continued. "And then there was the explosion, and everything happened so fast. Everyone was running everywhere and I was trying to help get animals out, and then I saw Azula, and she was yelling my name and…and I joined her. Then we started walking back, and we got lost because of all the confusion. And then those earthbenders attacked us. I fell down and I couldn't move cause my hands and feet were all trapped in earth. And Azula….Azula protected me as best she could, but there were so many. She fought them off, and used lighting on one of them, and then one came up behind us and he knocked her down and trapped her. And then he….he…" Ty Lee shuddered at the memory.

"Ty Lee," Azula said softly, surprising everyone. "You don't have to."

"I do, Zula. I can't let you go to prison for this when all you were doing was protecting me." Ty Lee took a deep breath. "First he had a knife, and he was going to kill me, I guess. I don't know. But then he decided that he was going to make…he said he wanted us to suffer for everything the Fire Nation had done. And he was going to…to rape me, and I was so scared." Her body began trembling slightly, and she saw Azula's eyebrows twitch as the former princess struggled to keep her expression neutral. "I can't remember much of what happened after that, but I know that he…kicked me a lot, and that he hit my face, and then it's all kind of fuzzy for a while and then…I can't remember anything after that."

"And that's when you killed him?" Yang asked, addressing Azula again.

"Yes."

"I see." He thought for a moment before nodding. "Very well. We'll take your story under consideration. Iroh, I would ask that I speak to Mo here alone and see if he can corroborate Azula's story."

"Of course," Iroh said easily. Ty Lee almost let her panic show on her face, but neither Iroh nor Azula seemed concerned, so she kept her composure. Yang led Mo out of the holding area, leaving Iroh, Rakura, and a few guards with Azula and Ty Lee. The water bender spoke quietly to one of the guards who nodded after a moment. They walked over, and he let the waterbender into the cell.

"Ty Lee, I would like to check your injuries again," she explained. "I would have liked for you to have been more rested before coming down here, but this is the best I can get."

"Oh, okay." Ty Lee let her assess the fading injuries, wincing slightly as the waterbender pressed against her still bruised ribs.

"Alright, it's looking pretty good, but I want you to take it as easy as you can, okay? That means no acrobatics."

"But they help me relax. I'm no good at meditation like Azula is."

"The more you move around, the longer it will take for you to heal," Rakura explained. "The choice is yours, I suppose."

"Ty Lee, just listen to her," Azula said, her cold demeanor dropping slightly now that Yang was gone. "You've been hurt enough."

"Okay, Zula." She sat down, folding her legs under her. The guard escorted Rakura back out, locking the cell door behind him. "I'll take it easy." Azula nodded and settled back into her meditation position.

"Will you two be okay tonight?" Iroh asked. "I'm not allowed to stay with you, but I will fight that if you need me to."

"We'll be fine, Uncle," Azula said dismissively. Ty Lee was not so sure, and she was worried that Azula would lose it if they were in there too long.

"Okay. I will return tomorrow. Hopefully Toph will come and be able to get you two out of here."

"Don't count on it," Azula said, closing her eyes. "Bei Fong hates me. She's got no reason to help us."

"Toph doesn't hate me," Ty Lee said. "I got to know her after I got out of prison. And she adores your uncle."

"We'll see. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to see if I can get some rest."

"Course, Zula." Ty Lee shrugged at Iroh as Azula shut them out. The acrobat wondered if this was Azula's way of dealing with her apparitions. She knew that Azula had been talking to them earlier, before she had realized that Ty Lee had found her. From the sounds of it, there had been two people appearing to the former princess. That really worried Ty Lee, who had thought that Azula was getting better. Clearly, she was just getting better at hiding her symptoms. If they got out of this, Ty Lee promised herself that she would risk Azula's wrath and talk to the firebender about her problem. It couldn't be healthy to keep it all to herself.

In the meantime, Ty Lee prayed to Agni that Toph Bei Fong would take pity on them.


End file.
